


Teaching a Robot to Love

by kayceeaych



Series: Commonwealth vs. Sole [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Action & Romance, Adventure, Apocalypse, Bonding, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Humor, My First Fanfic, Pre-Relationship, Robot Feels, Sarcasm, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:32:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayceeaych/pseuds/kayceeaych
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tall, dark, and handsome? While some might describe her companion X6-88 like so, Sole would probably use descriptions such as: deadpan snarky bastard, cold as arctic ice, or possesses princess-like qualities. Join the duo as they gallivant about the Commonwealth on their Institute endeavors. Slow burn. Rated Mature for language, gore, and eventual smashing. X6-88/F!SS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ma'am

**-Disclaimer-**  
I noticed how there weren't many fanfictions available for X6-88 online and so I thought I'd write one. I think it would be an interesting dynamic to have a cool terminator-like synth with a curious-minded loveable SS. X6 is awesome; he is a mix of badassery and princess. MCs will all be called Sole, short for Sole Survivor, to make it easy. I do not want to add in many MC character descriptions for I want you to imagine your own MC in their place. This is my first fanfic so please review! :D  
I do not own the rights to the characters or game; all credits go to Bethesda.

 

**Chapter 1: Ma'am**

"I'm already bored" stated X6-88, his voice drowned out by the barrage of lasers raining down upon the raider settlement.

"I swear if Mr. Abernathy's wife goes running off with another raider ONE more time, I am going to raze that whole farm to the ground" huffed Sole as she sniped a raider square in the forehead with her laser rifle.  
It was the high afternoon in the Commonwealth, so hardly the best time for sneaking. Sole just wanted to get this done as soon as possible so she could go back to avoiding Preston and his endless Minutemen requests every time she returned to Sanctuary Hills. It was always a new Settlement that needed her help because they couldn't fight off the horde of blood bugs or some crap. It had been some time since she had returned to the Institute and she was eager to get back to working with Father, or Shaun, or whatever.

When the firing stopped, Sole motioned to X6-88 and the two sneaked towards the entrance of backstreet apparel. Sole pressed her ear to the door to gauge how many raiders they would have to take out in the first room. She counted three.

"I do not know why you bother with the people of the Commonwealth. If they cannot help themselves, then it is only logical that they perish" X6-88 commented just as Sole was about to push in the door. She turned toward him. He was leaning tall against the wall, expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. She had never actually seen him without his glasses which was odd considering the time they had spent together. While she was all the while burning with curiosity to see the eyes behind the machine, she held back. What if it wasn't what she was expecting? What if he had some goofy eyes that didn't match his cool secret agent demeanor?

"Oh hush. Yes, how dare these awful, awful people with but a cap on them and toys for weapons even DARE to ask for help" Sole exaggeratedly whispered.

"Sarcasm noted."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Sole kicked open the door and immediately fired at one of the raiders before he got a chance to turn around, then crouched behind the counter to reload her gun while X6 quickly killed the others. The two methodically swept the room, checking for traps to disarm or ammo to pick up. X6 sighed as Sole greedily shoved some hot plates and aluminum cups into her pack for he knew that he would probably end up carrying them later. How impractical. When the two heard a light muffle, they froze. Sole looked at X6's shaded glasses, and then sneaked towards the noise. The muffled noises got louder until they reached a locked door. Sole whipped out her bobby pin and screwdriver and chuckled sinisterly.

"Heh heh heh, who do they think I am?" *click* the door unlocked. She flipped her hair over her shoulder in triumph and waggled her eyebrows at X6.

"Very good ma'am" replied X6 flatly. The door swung open to a gagged Mrs. Abernathy struggling to undo her bound hands.

"Holy shit, Mrs. Abernathy! That was quick! Good thing I can actually pick locks instead of having to clear this whole place out and loot the bodies for a key!" exclaimed Sole with a swipe of her arm, then proceeded to remove the gag from Mrs. Abernathy's mouth. X6-88 stood guard at the doorway, gun at the ready in case any straggling raiders had heard them.

"Oh my, thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done if you two hadn't shown up." Mrs. Abernathy replied. She fished in her pockets once Sole had freed her hands. "I was…scavenging through some buildings when the raiders caught me. I was able to unlock a safe with a ton of caps in it and well… I just think you guys deserve to have it, since it would've been in the hands of raiders if you two hadn't come along."

Sole's ears perked up, "Oh I do like the sound of money! How much are me talking here ma'am?" Months of marauding around the Commonwealth with X6 had caused her to pick up a lot of his mannerisms. She had even started calling Connie, Mrs. Abernathy after X6 urged her too as well out of professionalism.

"500 caps. I don't think the raiders even knew it was in my pocket."

X6's head twitched toward her and Sole's mouth fell open. Caps were hard to come by in this post-apocalyptic wasteland. She was not about to turn this rare opportunity down.

"You might want to close your mouth." X6 piped in just as emotionless as before but with a twinge of snark.

"Oh hush you!" Sole waved at him dismissively. Once in a while, X6 would throw in a snide comment or tease that hinted toward a shred of personality. Something about this shred made Sole obsessively curious. If he could open a bit, then she wondered what it would take to drive a personality out of him. Of course, he was a synth. That would make things difficult.

"Deal!" She snatched the pouch of caps out of Mrs. Abernathy's hand and eyed it greedily. "Come on let's get you out of here Mrs. Abernathy."

The three got up and crept out of backstreet apparel and escorted Mrs. Abernathy back to Diamond City where she thanked them and planned to take the next trade caravan to Abernathy farm the next morning. The sun was setting, it was dusk now, and the night lights in Diamond City had just turned on. Sole took a minute to look around, taking in inventory of what she would need to pick up before returning to Sanctuary Hills. Knowing X6, she thought it would be best to pointedly avoid Valentine's office, she knew what X6 was like.

As Mrs. Abernathy was leaving them towards the Dugout Inn, she turned around to face where Sole and X6-88 were standing and glanced at them up and down. She called out, "You know, you two would make a really cute couple!" Then she continued on her way.

Sole's face flushed up to her ears with embarrassment and shot a hand to the backside of her neck, turning her head away from X6, not daring to look at his face. Well... Maybe he did interest her a little. And maybe she might have had the thought that if she could make him think she was special that would be kind of interesting. But geez! Did she have to go and say that? His cool demeanor was almost perfectly robotic.

X6-88 coughed awkwardly and pushed his glasses up closer to his face, out of sight from Sole.

"Well um, hey, X6, want to rent a room down at the Dugout Inn too? I bet Vlad will give us a discount." Sole tried to change the topic, kicking a pebble. X6 scoffed in retort however.

"I do believe it is unwise to leave our safety in the hands of surface dwellers. Perhaps it would be best if we made our own camp outside of the city."

"And if I say it is necessary for me to sleep in a nice cozy bed to ensure my speedy recovery as future director of the Institute? Then what?"

Silence.

"X6?"

"…If…it is in the best interests of the Institute then it would be beneficial to see that your health needs are met. One night. That is all." X6-88 reluctantly replied.

She smacked him on the stomach, "Thanks pal!" His head twitched on emphasis of pal, but Sole might have just been imagining things. "You just don't want to be around all these filthy humans on the surface."

He straightened his back, "Do I like wading through the filth that is the Commonwealth and all of its vermin? Of course not. But if that's what the Institute needs me to do, then I'll do it."

"Princess."

"I will not comment on that highly inaccurate assessment of me."

"Pfft you already have" Sole chuckled as they started walking toward the Dugout. Teasing X6-88 had become somewhat of an enjoyable thing for her. It was needless to say, a developed skill. When traipsing about the Commonwealth with a cold, devoted, and stoic synth, Sole liked to elicit any shred of emotion she could get out of him from time to time, even annoyance. She jammed her hand in her pocket, thumbing the pocket of caps they had gotten earlier. "X6… We made 500 caps today. We're so rich!" She giggled and spun in a circle in front of him.

At some point, he had gotten used to her quirky and unprofessional mannerisms around him. When they had their first mission at Libertalia, he thought her totally unfit in every way, shape, and form. But now, he saw where Father got his bravery and leadership from. "Be careful not to collide with objects in your path." He warned as they approached the entrance, lights flickering across his glasses.

"You know I couldn't have done it without you X6" her expression suddenly turning demure as she peered at him over her shoulder. "We make a pretty good team, you and I." She said, turning around and throwing him a wink.

"Likewise." Here it came; the human emotion. Words of praise after a completed job seemed pointless to him. He thanked the Institute he was made a synth and spared all of that catastrophic nonsense.  
What he didn't expect was for Sole to quickly close the distance between them and wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. Her cheek pressed happily against his chest for no more than a few seconds, but the second he had processed the situation, she was already off of him and smashing open the door to the Dugout shouting "Time to party!"

X6-88 stood there for a second more, and then adjusted his uniform. He made a mental note that next time they made a trip back to the Institute, he needed to get himself checked out by Dr. Volkert. He seemed to have contracted an odd virus that made his synthetic heart beat unnecessarily fast.


	2. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does not have X6-88 in it. I realize that the dialogue is familiar to you, which can be boring, but I believe that character development is very important and I want to build up a sense of a realistic main character. This is the only time I am going to be talking about what happened before Sole met X6 however since this IS an X6 fanfiction (I am going to have the personality of all MCs be a little different depending on the character I am writing for).

**Chapter 2: The Beginning**

War. War never changes.

At least that is what Sole thought as she exited Vault 111 on that fateful day of November 5th, 2287. Everything felt so surreal as that elevator rose up to the surface. Remnants of the life she had once known lay in shambles. She stood staring out over the barren land that she had once called home. It all seemed so much bigger now. So vast.

Her ears rang, draining out all the noise of this new world. ‘I have to get home,’ Sole thought as she turned around and stumbled down the hill. Even her steps felt dream-like. On her right she saw militarily clothed skeletons; the men that had lowered her and Nate into the vault. Pushing open the gate out of the compound, she saw two more pre-war clothed skeletons; neighbors that did not make the list.

She took a deep breath as she continued walking towards home. Even the air smelled different: sort of stale, sort of dusty. She trudged across the dilapidated bridge, taking in the scorched trees and strange plants.

Sole was a surprised at how calm she was. It was like she had locked her emotions away. Nate had been shot right in front of her and Shaun had been taken. Now the life she knew was blown away, but she did not feel sorrow. She didn’t really feel much of anything actually. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism or something and everything would hit her all at once, reducing her into a driveling mess. But for the moment, she just knew she had to get home. That is where she had to start.

As she walked into the clearing where her neighborhood used to be, she stopped and looked around. Had she really lived here? Was this really the street she drove up after a long day at the legal office? Was this really the block that Shaun was to grow up on?

“As I live and breathe…”

A voice snapped her out of her reverie. A very familiar voice. She whipped her head around to behold a dingy tin Mr. Handy robot. Her Mr. Handy robot, Codsworth.

“It’s…It’s REALLY you!” Codsworth enthused.

“Codsworth you, you’re still here.” She breathed.

“Of course the petunias have seemed a little worse for wear. But my you look distraught. Perhaps sir can offer one of those hugs you humans are so fond of? Speaking of which, where is your better half?”

Nate... His killers are still out there and they have Shaun. As long as she lives and breathes, she will find him. “They… They killed him. Men with guns and strange outfits came and took Shaun.” She felt this knot of anxiety form in the pit of her stomach; the kind of anxiety that invigorates you to act.

“Mum… these things you’re saying. These… terrible things… I… I believe you need a distraction. Yes! A distraction, to calm this dire mood.” Codsworth piped. “It’s been ages since we’ve had a proper family activity. Checkers. Or perhaps charades. Shaun does love that game. Is the lad… with you…?”

Somethings seemed… off about Codsworth. Did a bomb really go off? Why was he acting like this? Her legs suddenly felt the need to move, to look for Shaun. She needed to find him. There were bad men out there that had her baby, and she was going to get them.

“Shaun’s been kidnapped. But I’m going to find him. I’m going to get my baby back.” Sole’s words held fire. She felt imbued with a purpose. Her legs suddenly felt the need to move, to look for Shaun. But where?

“It’s worse than I thought. Hmm hmm. You’re suffering from… hunger-induced paranoia. Not eating properly for 200 years will do that, I’m afraid.” Codsworth offered as an explanation.

What?

“200 years?!” She yelled distraught.

“A bit over 210 actually, mum. Give or take a little for the Earth’s rotation and some minor dings to the ole’ chronometer.” Codsworth’s mechanicals pupils constricted and dilated. “That means you’re two centuries late for dinner! Ha ha ha. Perhaps I can whip you up a snack? You must be famished.”

“Codsworth, you’re acting… a little bit weird. What’s wrong?”

“I… I…” Codsworth’s sobbed, “Oh mum, it’s been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, with no one to serve. I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing!”

Sole shifted closer to Codsworth as a gesture of sympathy. She couldn’t even imagine being alive for 200 years without any interaction. Everything happened within hours for her.

“And don’t get me started about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! The car! How do you polish rust?” Codsworth screamed in futility, motors whirring loudly.

“Stay with me pal. Focus.”

Codsworth’s mechanical arms dropped sadly. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything, mum. The bombs came, and all of you left in such a hurry. I thought for certain you and your family were… dead.” Then his eyes perked up and his body spun around, reaching into his metal storage compartment as if he remembered something. “I did find this holotape. I believe sir was going to present it to you as, as a surprise. But then, well… everything ‘happened’.”

“Thank you Codsworth.” Sole breathed. Now she had two things to remember him by. She shoved the holotape into her vault suit pocket. She felt guilty for leaving Codsworth alone, even though it was out of her control. He needed this interaction.

*sniff* “Thank you, mum.” Codsworth mimicked wiping an arm beneath his eye like there were tears. “Now! Enough feeling sorry for myself. Shall we search the neighborhood together? Sir and young Shaun may turn up yet.”

“All right. Lead the way…” Sole trailed off. She knew it was futile. Whoever took Shaun had got to be far away by now. But… Codsworth… He needed to do this more than she did.

“Proud to serve, mum!” Codsworth proudly announced. He was so happy to have human interaction again. Sole gave a faint smile. Well at least she had one part of her past still around.

\--

The sun began to set. After hours of searching houses, killing giant roaches and grotesquely large flies (which she later learned to be radroaches and bloatflies), and the two finally gave up looking. They found nothing of interest aside from a terminal in one neighbor’s house with a watch log of the other neighbors. Creepy. Codsworth seemed evidently more upset by this than she was, but she already knew they would not find anything. She thanked him anyway and told him she would return when she found more clues about Shaun. She knew this area pretty well, how hard could this be?

Sole stopped at the edge of Sanctuary Hills and looked out across the half-destroyed bridge. Well, there was a Red Rocket truck stop just down the street. If anything, she could maybe find some supplies to help her carry out her journey.

Well this is where it all begins. She took a deep breath as the wooden boards creaked under her weight. Passing a rotting carcass of….whatever animal that was, she continued on her way. She breathed a sigh of relief once the familiar rounded rocket came into view. Phew. Well not everything had blasted away thankfully.

Her relief was short lived as a large, furry animal dashed out from her peripheral vision and tackled her, knocking her back. Sole yelped in surprise. The animal was actually a dog; a German Shephard specifically. After assessing that it didn’t want to eat her for dinner, she played with him a bit.

“Hey boy! What are you doing out here all by yourself?” Sole cooed. Something about dogs always made her revert to baby talk. The dog jumped back on his haunches and waggled his tail playfully.

“You lose your owner buddy?” Sole knelt down and scratched the dog behind his ear, which he seemed to greatly appreciate. As she stood up, the dog felt the need to imitate her by jumping up on her torso.

“Ooof! Okay well let’s stick together then! But no more of that okay?” The dog panted playfully. “Um I think I’m going to call you…. Dog for right now. Until I think of a better name. Do you like that huh? Yes you do. Yes you do! Who’s a good boy?” Okay okay, maybe she had a weakness for dogs.

Time to see if he knew any tricks. “Hey boy! Know any tricks?”

Dog sat down immediately. Wow okay. Smart dog.

“How about shake?” Sole lowered her hand.

Dog obediently put his paw in her hand.

“Good boy! What about spin?”

Dog spun in a circle.

“Such a smart boy! How about, go find Shaun?”

Dog tilted his head in confusion.

“Yeah, I didn’t think that was going to work.”

A low rumble interrupted them and Dog immediately jumped up in all fours, in a warning stance. Sole grabbed her 10mm pistol she picked up in the vault, which by the way had no idea how to use. Growing up in a liberal state where no one she knew owned a gun did not do her well in preparation for the apocalypse. I guess no one thought it was going to be necessary.

Five grossly pink and veiny mole…rat…thingies popped up from the dirt and began attacking them. Dog immediately lunched at the closest molerat’s throat.

“Aaah! Dog why are they attacking us? Why are they so big?!” Sole panicked, running for cover. One molerat bumbled after her.

Okay, okay, she could do this. She watched movies. Magazine in. Safety off. Barrel cocked. Sole flipped around to face the creature, finding out there was a greater distance between them than she had thought. She quickly tabulated how much she would have to compensate for recoil. She pointed the gun a little down and pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the ground. Nice.

The second one however landed right between the molerat’s eye and ear, eliciting an ear-piercing squeal, and it paused to paw at its face.

The third, miss.

The fourth, its paw.

Fifth and six were all misses.

Seven and eight however landed right in the head, probably because she was walking towards it now to improve her chances. That seemed to kill it. She emptied her magazine and reloaded it before snapping her head up and feeling dread.

“Oh crap! Dog!” Sole ran over back to where she had last found him to find that he had already killed the other four. She lost to a dog.

Dog ran up to her panting playfully, not even minding the blood and gore smothering his mouth and paws.

“Err that’s okay bud, maybe next time. Let’s just find a place to camp for the night.”

Sole and Dog swept the truck stop. They found some peculiar glowing mushrooms, some flowers, and some brain fungus. Eventually she overcame her squeamishness of gutting an animal and managed to cut some molerat meat off their kills. Man the world really adapted in 200 years. Now she had to.

The sky was dark now and the temperature was dropping. Sole was fortunate enough to have watched enough National Geographic’s back in her prime to know how to start a fire. Thankfully, there was also a pit with tinder all ready for her. She set up a spit and began cooking the food she had scavenged, making sure there was enough for dog too.

Then she remembered the holotape. She put down her cooked molerat meat and fished the object out of her pocket. It was titled ‘Hi Honey!’ Might as well watch it now. Sole popped the holotape in and hit play.

Feedback. Then she heard the sound of Shaun fussing. Then…she heard Nate. He talked about how great of a mother Sole was. How kind and loving she was. He was talking about the last year they had and how proud he was of Sole’s accomplishments as a lawyer.

That’s when it hit her. Her vision blurred up and her throat caught. Tears began streaming down her face as the piece of meat she had in her mouth lost its flavor. This isn’t the life she wanted. She grew up wanting to be a lawyer like her mom. She fought her way through law school and got a job at a firm. She had a child and was starting to put away money for when he went to college. She had friends. She had family. Now… she would never see any of that again. She would never go eat lunch with Jessica on Saturdays again. She would never write down lists to go to the grocery store and bring back. She would never get to have her nails done before some big military banquet Nate would have. She would never get to call in sick really because she had planned a vacation at Disneyworld with Nate and Shaun instead. All of her life she had been accustomed to, that she had planned for, would now have to be forgotten. Now she had a new life with no direction. What were her goals now? Where would she go? Everything was gone!

Sole cried and cried into the night. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore and a feeling of catharsis swept her into a deep sleep on the dingy mattress she found in the storage shed.

\--

Sole awoke as sunshine danced on her now dry lashes. Dog jumped to his feet when Sole lifted herself up and attacked her face with a barrage of kisses. She chuckled, which surprised her, and scratched Dog on his neck. She was already attached to this dog. She remembered Codsworth, how he was left alone for 200 years and how he cried when he found what he was looking for. This was no time to feel sorry for herself. She had a mission. One night of crying is all she would allow herself for she needed to be strong for what was to come. She motioned to Dog to come with her as she began to walk toward Concord. She focused her eyes toward the decrepit down.

“I need to get my baby back”

(edited)


	3. Libertalia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains MAJOR spoilers (although if you know X6 you probably got that far anyway). Just felt I needed to put that. Again, familiar dialogue since this is one of X6-88’s more important quests. Just a heads up, I know X6 isn't emotionless he just isn't necessarily empathetic. I do plan on delving into the plot holes involving synths and how X6 became a courser in later chapters. Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Libertalia**

X6-88 sighed in frustration as the alarms sounded loudly over the barrage of bullets after Sole had set off a catastrophic chain of events that eventually led to the entire mile stretch up to the sunken ship to focus directly on their location. He was bestowed the greatest honor in escorting the infamous mother of Father on a synth retention quest. For years Father always prepared the Institute for his mother’s arrival. No one knew what to expect. But knowing the leadership abilities and intelligence of Father, they could only imagine.

Certainly not this….fool. She donned a few mismatched microcarbon synth and metal armor pieces and held what appeared to be a ridiculously modified rifle. Admitted, he expected great things once he saw her oversized gun and relaxed demeanor. However, after missing the target she proclaimed as “easy peasy” three times, he quickly modified his prior assessment to rash and overconfident.

He remained silently crouched beside a quivering Sole as they used the short wall of metal barrels as cover. There wasn’t much room to move, perhaps a few feet or so, and the barrels weren’t very tall. Standing at full height could easily get their heads blown off. After a few minutes the turrets stopped firing but the raiders were still yelling at each other to find them. Sole tossed her gun in front of her and slid down the ground.

“Do you think if we wait here long enough, they’ll forget we’re here?” She cajoled with a half smirk and a side glance at X6-88.

“That is unlikely, ma’am.” he replied curtly. He quickly calculated the difficulty and time it would take them to reach the top of the ship. Thankfully, no raiders seemed to be headed in their direction for the moment. They were too far away.

X6 prided himself on thinking ahead; always doing what is needed before it is asked. It is what got him his position as the head courser of the Institute. Always assigned to the most difficult of missions. Lauded for his efficiency and strength. This extra time tacked onto the mission is not usually his style. Not at all.

He then noticed that Sole was still staring at him.

“It appears as if we have fooled the raiders for now. If we advance quietly, we can continue our assault on the main flotilla” He offered.

“Nah I want to make sure they think they either killed us or we ran first. I love taking them when their guard is down.” Sole bragged, wiggling her shoulders. She patted the wet boards next to her as a motion for him to sit down next to her. The stench of sea salt and rotting fish was almost as repulsive enough as the filth she was sitting in.

“No thank you ma’am, we need to be prepared to move.” He turned his rifle ever so slightly to emphasize his point.

She seemed to ignore that last comment of his. “What do we know about this synth, Gabriel?” She asked.

“Designation B5-92 is holed up in the shack, on the top of the up-ended cargo ship.” X6 detailed, cautiously lifting his head above the barrels to scan the situation. “He’s probably got his best fighters with him, so we should plan on _heavy_ resistance” he emphasized.

He turned his dark shades toward Sole, who was already loading her next round of .308s into her rifle, and secured them with a _click_. In one swift movement, she swiveled around and lifted herself up into a crouching position, mimicking his position. Her face turned serious and dark as she waited for the okay from X6.

“So, are you ready to go in?” He asked in response to her posture.

“Let’s just get this over with” she mumbled impatiently.

“Right behind you ma’am.”

In those next few minutes, Sole became someone else. The foolish woman he had seen enter into the grounds with guns blazing, seemed to have been left behind at those barrels. This woman was calm, quiet, and felled numerous raiders with precise headshots. When they got to the cabin, X6 noticed her out of his peripherals secretly shoving miscellaneous junk into her pack, which she slung over her shoulder. Hoarding. Definitely not like Father.

Within no time they had made it to the shack. The duo approached the door, boots splashing over the freshly pooled blood and damp ship boards. The handle creaked with a turn and the door opened with a heavy moan. No synth. Sole took a few long strides to check the room for anything of importance before settling in on a terminal. She pulled the chair out and began to hack it. Impressive.

This woman confused him, and he was not confused easily. One minute she appears to be a skittish, incompetent imbecile and the next she was this quiet, aggressive killer. X6-88 pondered for a moment. Well, he was planning on doing the reclamation part himself, but going off her behavior in the last hour or so, perhaps this woman was capable of handling this delicate part of the mission herself.

“Hold up a moment, ma’am. There’s something important I need to tell you.” He stated, taking a step closer to her as she furiously typed away at the terminal.

“Alright. Alright, but make it quick” she groaned waving a hand dismissively, not taking her eyes off the terminal.

“I will” he cut in, mildly irritated. “I’m going to give you B5-92’s reset code. If he hears the code phrase, it’ll reset his cognitive processes and make him docile. You’ll need to say ‘B5-92, initialize factory reset,’ followed by the authorization code ‘gamma-7-1-epsilon.’” He saw her eyebrows shoot straight to her hairline as she slowly turned her incredulous eyes to him. He continued, “Once he’s shut down, I can transport him safely back to the Institute.”

“What do you mean by ‘reset his cognitive processes?” Sole asked suspiciously. Keeping one hand on the terminal keyboard, she slowly turned her chair to face him.

“Put more simply, the recall code will render him unconscious, even while he’s still standing. That’s all ma’am. Ready when you are.” The dingy light of the shack reflected off his sunglasses as he readied his laser gun. He truly was an agent. Everything about him eked professionalism.

“Hmm” Sole grunted in contemplation, continuing to stare at him. He almost thought she did not take that as in invitation for action when she finally broke the silence.

“So…do synths ever need to go to the bathroom?” She asked, shoving the chair away from the desk and crossing her legs as she folded her hands underneath her chin like an intrigued scientist.

He instantly regretted trusting her.

However, a loud _thunk_ from above thankfully interrupted that awkward question. Sole immediately grabbed her gun and they ran to a ladder, leading to the roof, X6 in tow. When they climbed to the grating light of day, they were greeted by a slow clap. When their eyes focused, they saw a brawny, blonde man with oil smears across his eyes and chin. X6 immediately recognized him as B5-92.

“Well done. Judging by your gear, I’m gonna guess you two are agents of the Institute.” He observed smugly. X6 glanced at Sole covertly from behind his glasses. Her face was scrunched up in irritation. She wore what he felt. He started to walk away from her to give them a better firing range. One. Two. Three other raiders he counted. Not that bad. Sole seemed to guess his intent, so she began stalking in the opposite direction. B5-92 or ‘Gabriel’ continued, “So tell me, is the Institute so desperate for resources that it’s stealing plunder from honest, hard-working Commonwealth gangs?”

Sole stopped in her tracks. Oh no. She looked intrigued.

“How much plunder have you got?” She greedily smiled. This woman was _nothing_ like Father. Father would never compromise the ideals of the Institute for petty loot. It dawned on X6-88 that he would most likely be doing the synth reclamation by himself. His tongue clicked.

Gabriel threw his head back with a loud laugh “Hah! So you are here for loot, then.”

X6 must have gotten a bit too close to one of the raiders because the pirate turned his position glaringly towards him and readied his gun. “What are you doing boss? We can take these guys!” the raider yelled irate.

“Keep your mouth shut! I know what I’m doing.” Gabriel shouted in retort. “We have a modest little stash. I-I’ll tell you what – I’ll give it to you freely if you walk away afterwards. What do you say? Do I have your word?”

Sole turned her face up to look down at him over her nose as he pleaded. Every muscle in X6’s back tensed. He could sense the impending bloodshed.

A single seagull called, and then Sole’s grin grew wide, “You have my word. Give me what you’ve got, and we’ll leave.” This woman. Ready to throw away the whole mission for petty bounty. X6’s synthetic blood boiled under his dark courser uniform.

Her answer seemed to satisfy Gabriel for he motioned toward the control room with his arm. “The password to get into the stash is ‘Mad Orca.’ Help yourself, my fellow pirate. We can always get more.”

Now. Now was the time. “I’m sorry ma’am, but I have my orders.” X6 raised his rifle level to the raider’s head who seemed to slowly process the situation. “B5-92, initialize-“

_BAM. BAM. BAM._

The three raiders surrounding Gabriel dropped to the ground, each with a bullet in their heads. Sole holstered her surprise pistol in her hip pouch. Gabriel’s mouth gaped open with horror.

“Why you little bitch!” He reached for his gun.

“B5-92, initialize factor reset. Authorization gamma-7-1-epsilon” Sole instructed firmly. B5-92 went limp, like a broken doll. X6-88 stood there for a moment, his internal processors consecrating this moment into his memory chip.

Sole didn’t even bat an eye. Wasting no time, she strode off the platform they hadn’t needed to step off from and slid into the little control room, presumably entering in her newly discovered password onto the computer.

“There you go X6! Good job” she called from the room.

Maybe X6-88's mouth twitched into a little smile, maybe it didn’t. You can never be sure with synths. Perhaps it was not in his calculations that the mother of the most respected Father would be cunending enough for a double cross. He was not surprised easily.

“Nice work ma’am. I’ll take the synth back.” X6 ambled over to the synth captain, grabbing his arm in the process. He lifted his wrist speaking distance from his mouth, which held a communication relay device with the institute. Sole sauntered back outside, grinning broadly with an armful of caps and ammo. She kept advancing until she was almost toe to toe with him. A little too close for comfort. X6 however, stood his ground.

“X6-88, you interest me. I’ve never travelled with a synth before, let alone a soldier of the Institute. I have so many questions.” Her eyes sparkled with wonder, like he was some interesting toy.

“Perhaps that is a bit of a misnomer. Courser, not soldier. I look forward to working with you in the future.” X6-88 bowed respectfully. What an unusual response. How curious for her to be so intrigued with him, he was nothing that she needed to be concerned about.

“Yes, I do as well. Wow, a real-life courser.” She breathed, looking him up and down as if this was truly the first time they had met. She outstretched an arm and placed a hand on X6’s shoulder, squeezing. He was not comfortable with emotional exchange. It was time to go.

“This is X6-88, ready to relay with reclaimed synth B5-92.”

 _Fwoop_. A blindingly bright light zapped both X6-88 and B5-92 into thin air, leaving Sole all by herself and the feeling of leather beneath her hand dissappeared.

She chuckled. “How cute, he gets embarrassed with physical contact. Well that won’t do. Not. At. All. I wonder how he will react when I push him farther out of his comfort zone. He is definitely more human than he thinks.”

Sole continued to giggle sinisterly to herself like she had begun on some mad plot as she turned on her heels and walked over all the carnage and off the ship.


	4. Questions Questions Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place BEFORE the SS is given a room in the institute; otherwise this chapter would not make sense. Plus, I feel like the whole 'creation of synths' thing is glossed over in FO4. We pretty much get a little view on how machines assemble the parts, slap some skin on it, and dip it in the glorious blood bath to give it life but that's not really an explanation, especially about how they transplant memories. Not even on terminals. I was a little disappointed, so I fixed it. This is just my take on it.
> 
> p.s. I try to stay as factually consistent to the game as possible, so if I miss something, please point it out. You might've caught something I missed. Two eyes are better than one.

 

**Chapter 4: Questions Questions Questions**

"Ma'am, as you're aware I respect you and your decisions as the future leader of the Institute but this…" X6-88 trailed off as Sole dumped the umpteenth teddy bear into the sea of others she had decided would remain in Shaun's old baby room. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes" Sole huffed, arms akimbo and evidently proud of her collection. "Do you think Shaun will like it?"

X6 remained silent, measuring the depth of teddy bears to about mid-shin. He placed both of his hands on either side of the doorway and met the glittering eyes of the expectant Sole. He finally spoke "…I do not think Father would find use in his current position for this many objects of trivial value."

Sole rolled her eyes then placed her palm on his chest to push him out of the room, herself in tow. "Not for Father, it's for child Shaun" she groaned, striding out of the entryway to her old house and into the daylight on the main street of Sanctuary Hills.

Within the few months that she had lived in the Commonwealth, she and Preston had managed to make quite an impressive settlement out of her old hometown. At first it was a little strange, coming back to where her old life used to be. Almost like she had subjected herself to some odd reality show. But now, there was now a throng of caravans that came through every few days at the stops built for them, and there was a permanent installment of little shops for the benefit of the town's current residents. It is hard to imagine that this place that was once a ghost town was now was bustling enough to rival Diamond City. The friends she had met along the way, before meeting X6-88, also seemed quite content with living here, in case they were ever needed on an adventure. She wasn't likely to change soon though.

Passing Cait who gave her a sly wink, Sole strode across the street to the adjacent house, looking for Preston. She was ready to help a settlement in need of assistance on the other end of the Commonwealth. X6 strode out behind her, laser rifle strapped at the ready.

He certainly had an intimidating presence. His posture was always lithe and straight, standing tall a few feet above, well, everybody except Strong and Danse. He was like a regal predator, silently stalking the streets, always on a mission. In addition, X6-88 was kind of like the friend that no one liked. Many a people went out of their way to avoid him, or immersed themselves in their tasks as he walked by. Kind of like when bosses used to walk through the cubicles at work back during pre-war times. They were all afraid of him. Afraid of the Institute. He was a manifestation of the "boogeyman." Sole was relieved that he didn't seem to mind it however, as he kept his eyes trained on her or their current objective. He wasn't out to make friends. At times she could almost swear he was proud of his courser status.

She rounded the corner where the door used to be, greeting a sweaty Sturges as he pounded away at fixing the holes in the dilapidated wall. Preston sat at the dining table, huddled over some scattered papers and a lamp for light. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even realize that walking outside would probably provide a better source of lighting. Probably was up all night, the workaholic he was.

Sole pulled out the chair and plopped down with a relaxed huff, folding her arms. X6 remained standing against the wall, blending in with the shadows.

"Hey Pres, got a settlement for me today that needs helping?" She grinned smugly, already knowing the answer.

Preston glanced up, casting her a half smile. "Murkwater has been having some troubles with mirelurks again. They just can't seem to get a good defense built up before the next batch of hatchlings grow up to attack them. After that, I got in a request that Warwick homestead has been having some trouble with Greenskins. I can mark it on your map" he detailed, flipping through some letters. There was a large circle connected with haphazardly drawn lines on Preston's map, presumably figuring out some sort of trade route between settlements.

Sole grimaced, "Ah, nothing I like more than wading through irradiated swamps with mutant crabs pinching my feet. Did you know we used to eat those things when they were little?" Preston snorted a single laugh through his nostrils in response. Sole continued leaning forward in her chair, "I actually have to go to Warwick for something else anyway, the guy there, um…Roger? Wanted me to tell you they are not ready to open their farm to settlers just yet." It was a lie of course. She had never even met Roger before but she didn't want any miscellaneous Minutemen wandering in on the settlement interrupting her secret mission to go there for the Institute.

Preston looked up exasperated from his papers, tossing down his pen. Probably more frustrated with another thing added to the list of things he had to worry about. He took off his hat and ran his hand through his short hair, "but the Minutemen provide protection in hopes they will open their doors for the greater good-"

"-good of the Commonwealth, yeah yeah I know. I'll talk to them okay?" Sole finished. Preston nodded and Sole stood up, motioning to X6 as she left the house. He silently followed. Preston's eyes trailed X6 as he left the room, partially surprised he had not noticed him before.

X6-88 and Sole started walking down the boulevard side-by-side, all ready to embark on their journey. "Alright, I am ready to see these genetically mutated plants Doctor Karlin talked about." Sole enthused to X6, when they were out of earshot of anyone. What kind of food would they be? Super big mutfruit plants? Enormous gourds?"

"Likewise. I would like you to be aware that many settlers are unfamiliar with coursers and will therefore most likely treat me as a human." He explained turning his sunglasses covered face towards her.

"Well that surely is useful you look as you do then huh?" She nudged his side playfully. No response. He was too good at his silent bodyguard thing. She decided it would be fun to tease him some more. "Are you sure you don't want to put on a disguise like Deacon? Maybe wear some pre-war tan suit or a leather Brahmin-skin getup?"

X6 turned his face away from her. Even if he could keep his face from expressing even an iota of emotion, his voice betrayed him once in a while.

"No…thank you. That would limit my… mobility."

Sole grinned deviously "Oh I don't know you, should try on a sequin dress once in a while. I think you would be surprised to find out how roomy it is. All the mobility you will need."

She could _practically_ see him internally grimacing, oh this was too good! Every little twitch of his head betrayed his façade of indifference, and she was watching.

"No… Definitely no dresses. I do not think that is something you would want to see either ma'am." X6 flatly stated, voice trailing off. He purposefully did not meet her jovial eyes, searching for his reaction. That was something he would not grant her. Something he learned was easier to just play along with rather than ignore.

"Well I don't know about that. You might be hiding some pretty nice legs under there" she motioned toward the hem of his courser coat. "Do you have to build up muscle like the rest of us or do they just start you off with the body of a Greek god?" She flirted blatantly.

X6 cleared his throat, "I am built with the precision needed in my line of work ma'am. No one is made as a courser, we are handpicked and then undergo extensive training." X6 explained, pushing up his glasses with one hand, shifting his position. He only did that when she made him uncomfortable. Good. Too bad it wasn't as good of a reaction as she was hoping but it would have to do. Everything X6 did was so fascinating to Sole.

Back when she was a lawyer, her favorite moments in court where when she presented crucial information to the witness on the stand. She would watch them squirm and sweat. Even though it sounded terrible, there was something extremely satisfying knowing that she was able to illicit it it such a reaction in people. She was able to dislodge them from their front of strength. She had to be dogmatic, or else she wouldn't have survived. That is why she continued to search for Shaun when most others would have given up. X6-88 was like another project, almost.

Even though X6 knew about her alliance with the Railroad, he was unaware that she held their beliefs a little closer than she did the Institute. When doing missions for them, she saw synths that had emotion. She saw choices they made willfully against their orders. To the naked eye, they were basically human. If the Institute couldn't control them, how could they control coursers so well? What was it that made regular synths defy direction? There was this giant gap in her understanding that bothered her quite a bit. It was why she continued to work with...Father. It sounded so odd addressing her son like so. But synths were the objects that everyone had different ideas about. The Brotherhood wanted to destroy them. The Institute wanted to use them. The Railroad wanted to free them. Yet none fully understood them. They kept those secrets locked up so tightly up in Advanced Systems that Sole had only managed to get meager answers whenever she had asked. It was infuriating. However, she was bound to understand synths, even if she had to go about it with a 'trial-and-error' approach. And what better way to do that with other than with her assigned synth bodyguard?

The two continued past the bridge of Sanctuary Hills until it was out of sight. It was time to begin the adventure.

\--

The road to Warwick was _miserable_. They were only about a third of the way there and they had already been traveling for two days straight, barely resting. Occasionally they had been interrupted by a group of raiders in the hills or supermutants in the city, which had slowed them down considerably. It was particularly cumbersome for X6 as he not only had to fight off enemies, he also had to deal with Sole's incessant questions along the way.

"Were you always a courser?"

"Did you ever have a crush on anyone in the Institute?"

"Do you get to choose your own hairstyle or are they given to you?"

"Can synths catch viruses?"

So curious. Irritably so. It was if she did not fully grasp that he was a machine and not a human, but he made sure to remind her each and every time. Every mission he had ever been assigned to had gone fluidly. No one asked questions, it was in and out. Except now.

Shadows began to blend in with the ground as the dusk began to set. Sole was running low on energy and desperately needed a break, judging by the glazed look in her eyes. The two crossed under an overpass, passing a few abandoned cars along the way. It was nearing the end of Fall so the nights were starting to get chilly. X6 had often heard stories collected on pre-world database terminals about leaves that would change color and fall to the ground during this time of year. Now everything was dead. Always.

He watched Sole silently as she trudged on. She had not even noticed that he had slowed his pace considerably to match hers. Although she had needed a rest at least 17 hours ago, she kept silent and trudged on, not once complaining. Her dedication to the mission made him respect her even more. She put the future of the Institute far above her own needs. She was exactly the leader they needed. His chest swelled. Probably a conditioned release of serotonin programmed to emit once he felt the Institute was in good hands, he reasoned. Nevertheless, her health was extremely important, for if she was not at her best, then she would be weakened in her duty. He tapped her on the back which caused her to cast her weary eyes towards him.

"Ma'am, there appears to be a hollowed out bus a few yards that way. We should rest a bit. You are not looking well."

She only offered a grunt of tired approval in response as she shifted her pack a few inches up her back.

When they got to the bus, X6 pulled open the egg-blue door and took the liberty of quickly disposing of the skeleton driver inside. He began unraveling a sleeping back from his pack. Sole wearily sat down in the bus doorway, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief. She reached into her pack and took out a lamp to light. Sitting felt like heaven on her poor feet. Turning around, her eyes focused in on the yellow sleeping bad X6 had brought out. It lay closer to her near the rear and certainly looked very inviting. It suddenly registered that he had only taken out one bedding.

"What about you X6? Don't you need to sleep as well?" She turned her worried eyes towards him as he climbed around her into the bus and sat down against the wall, behind the driver's seat.

"Coursers in particular do need as much sleep to recharge as other synths do. I will gladly take the first shift." he offered monotonously.

Sole dismissively waved his offer away, scrunching up her nose as she crawled inside and shut the bus door.

"I don't think we will be bothered in here. Commonwealth critters don't have opposable thumbs to open doors, and raiders aren't known for traveling in this area." She moved the sleeping bad closer to where X6 was sitting and plopped down next to him as she began to strip off her armor and toss it aside. "Huh well I guess that answers my next question if you ever even slept or not."

"Yes. Nevertheless, once you fall asleep I will go out and sweep the area" he insisted, watching her struggle to take off her chest piece as the fire light from the lantern danced across his unreadable glasses. His thumb mindlessly stroked the barrel of his gun he had placed to the side.

Sole grunted, ripping off her chest piece with bravado, very pleased with herself. She tossed it to the side carelessly and turned around to find herself face-to-face with X6. He turned his face away once their eyes presumably met and Sole gingerly scooted up closer to him. Their shoulders were only a few inches apart. For a few minutes, the two sat in a comfortable silence, watching the flame dance in the lantern. This was a small bus.

It was eerily quiet at night. There were no crickets or owls filling the air with sound. There were no fireflies or streetlamps offering comfort in their glow. Everything was just...gone. It was truly the apocalypse. Sole turned her attention down to X6's hand which was resting on his right leg. Such a big hand. He was like her silent, stoic, robot bodyguard that kept her safe. She turned her hooded eyes towards his face, still groggy as the sleepiness started to catch up with her.

She twiddled her thumbs, "Hey X6, you know that room that I keep all the teddy bears in for Shaun?" She asked through a yawn.

He turned his face a fraction of an inch towards hers, probably just enough to watch her out of the corner of his eye. She couldn't tell with his glasses. He even kept them on at night. So mysterious.

She continued, "So I saw synths being made as-as adult humans. What happens to synth children? Do you have the capacity to age or do you just stay in this immortal constant state of which you were built?" She asked, genuinely curious. Synths were the greatest mystery to her. Back in her day, androids were just a distant dream. Humans could grasp parts of the idea but nowhere near the sophistication of the Institute synths of today. If she wanted to know more, this was definitely her chance.

X6-88 sighed in resignation. Apparently she had no intention of taking advantage of the bed laid out for her or the seemingly safe armor of the car. Never takes advantage of the practical situation. Her curiosity even warded off her own sleep, he noticed, as she fought to open her heavily lidded eyes.

"No we do not age. That is a technology that the Institute is working on. The children you see walking around will be issued new bodies once an acceptable amount of time has passed, and their memories will be transferred." X6 explained. He stopped there because Sole seemed somehow closer than she was a second ago. He had acutely noticed that she had been slowly leaning towards him as they sat against the bus's metal walls. Head heavy from sleep, she was very close in his personal space, something that he had expressed aggravation towards in the past and something that she had dutifully ignored.

As he leaned forward to avoid an unintentional and very unprofessional head hug, Sole's head bobbed back up in retaliation. Her eyes turned serious and shifted to stare at the opposite end of the wall mindlessly. A realization began to dawn on her.

"That means that I will truly never get to raise my child." She trailed off, casting her eyes downward one again.

A silence enveloped them once again. Her voice echoed sadly through the barren walls of the automobile. If she was looking for comfort, she was looking for it in the wrong place. X6 didn't know how to provide emotional support to humans in all of their volatility. So he stayed silent. Maybe it was better this way? Some people preferred a hug while some preferred to be alone. Even though X6 didn't give her any words or sympathy or any kind displays of affection, his negligence to speak was oddly comforting. The life she had planned with Shaun and Nate was dead, and now she had to learn how to live in this world. Perhaps if she had someone to coddle her in her moments of weakness, she wouldn't have been here today. X6 helped her to be strong. Never validating her moments of weakness. It was almost as if he was letting her figure out her own path.

Within a few moments she turned her eyes back to him with a sad smile, ready to change focus. "Wow" she breathed "so you never had a childhood then either, or parents."

"No. the Institute is the only family I need." He replied bluntly. Or was it proudly? Everything was so difficult to tell when she was tired.

Sole yawned, stretching her arms well above her head. The blue vault suit fabric stretched against her skin. Flexible, but also insulated. It did well in providing her comfort during chilly nights such as this.

"That's so sad! Don't worry X6, I'll get you a teddy bear next time too. We can *yawn* make some new memories." Her last word was barely audible as her head plunked down on his shoulder, nestling in the crook of his neck. Apparently the space he had attempted to create between them had no meaning now.

"Ma'am, this is hardly the position to be sleeping in-" he trailed off when he heard her heavy breaths. She was already out. He couldn't imagine how comfortable his heavy leather coarser jacket could have been; a unified outfit to distinguish the elite agents from the mere soldiers. Not a pillow.

Moments like this made him feel uncertain about the future of the Institute. Sole was to be the future director, the embodiment of its ideals and prospects. However, she couldn't seem to grasp the core fact that synths were not human. She was too concerned with trying to apply human standards to his life. She seemed weak. Even though she could handle herself in a fight, outside the battlefield she seemed almost childish. All the constant touches and jokes, it was all very far from a relationship he had ever seen between a synth and a human. The most interactions he had between his superiors was to receive orders, rely information, provide security decal, or provide assistance. He was programmed to obey and act in the best interests of the Institute. Synths were creations. Robots built each with a specific purpose and all to serve their creators. Not for…compassion.

He removed his aviators, placing them down onto the metal flooring next to him and glanced down at Sole. The fire danced off her plump lips and soft lashes. She seemed so very small without all of that armor. The small, young, mother that was next in line to be leader. She was an improbability, and he detested that. Spouts of strength were not to be confused with true courage. However, his position dictated that he needed to protect her. Regardless of his opinion, she was to become the next director.

Very quietly he squeezed an arm between her and the wall and with the other, grabbed her legs underneath her knees. He then turned her around so that she was lying on the sleeping bag instead. It was a tad challenging, considering the cramped space he had to work with. Quite amazingly, she didn't stir. As he was preparing himself for the night shift, a chunk of hair fell across her sleeping face. He silently reached across her sleeping figure and brushed it to the side. Realizing what he had done, he slowly withdrew his hand looking down at it incredulously. It wasn't as if that hair would particularly have bothered her in her sleep. Why did he do that? Flexing his fingers, He decided to brush it aside as he closed the door to the bus and took off into the night, looking for threats.

Besides, it was probably just a programming error or something.

( **Edited** )

I made a BIG mistake this chapter. Original versions had that X6 was built as a courser, but my second playthrough talking to Ayo I found out that they are actually _handpicked_ for the job due to their excellence. I changed it to reflect in-game facts. Sorry for the epic fuckup.


	5. Saving the Crops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First signs of affection! Oh X6 you cold and calculating bastard you! I think as a synth, he doesn’t really know what emotions are (as in he knows the definition but doesn’t truly understand them). He is actually very protective of SS as evident when you swap companions. Given the right dialogue opportunities, X6 actually has some of the most hilarious one-liners. Bear with me, I will get to the Institute next and some major questions will be answered. I do actually have a plot in mind haha. Review please! If I don’t have at least more reviews than there are chapters, that means I’m a terrible writer and I will eat Oreos crying while I binge-watch The Walking Dead on Netflix. Does anyone even read these notes? Marshmallow.

**Chapter 5: Saving the Crops**

Warwick could be smelt a mile away. It was like if someone decided to take supermutant poop and mix it with rotting corpses all inside a giant toilet bowl. It slowly dawned on Sole that the smell was actually getting stronger the closer they got to Warwick. Of course. Even though X6-88 had been entertaining her small questions with contrite answers, he too had fallen silent the more they walked.

“Hey X6, can you smell that?” Sole pried, shivering with disgust.

“Unfortunately” he retorted.

Her hands shot up to cup her nose.

“Put them down, it’s rude.”

The large cylindrical buildings they had seen in the distance grew closer, and the solid dirt beneath their feet began to turn to soft mud. Sole extended her arm and focused in on the map on her pip-boy. Yup, they were definitely going to the right place. Crops came into focus along with the colorful ragged clothing of what appeared to be the farmhands.

The stench was _rancid_. If smells could kill.

A rather plain-looking man jogged over to them as Sole and X6 approached.

“Hello there! You must be the Minutemen we asked help from a while back!” The man enthused, stowing his farming hoe. “My name is Roger Warwick, nice to meet you!”

Sole managed a very weak, and most likely fake, smile as she pulled every ounce of willpower not to tear up at the acidic environment. X6 remained silent and oh so very much stiffer than usual. Roger threw his head back and bellowed out a laugh.

“Oh you don’t have to force yourself; we know how the smell affects newcomers like yourself.” He extended an arm in a motion for them to follow him. “Come, I will introduce you to my family.”

As hard as she tried, Sole just could not get used to the smell. Even though her body was beginning to take the edge off the smell, it wasn’t enough to dispel the stiff restrictions placed on her greetings to Roger’s family and farmhands. X6 was no help either. He obviously could smell it too, or else he would have had some sarcastic comment about the place. Roger led them away from the crops over to the inside of the factory, where they slept. X6 didn’t even bother following them inside. He stood right in the doorway looking out. Normally, others couldn’t understand but Sole knew that he was signaling his impatience. He could give a damn about a tour. Roger pulled out seats for himself and Sole and they sat down.

“My family’s from Danvers, originally. My wife and I started this place up about twelve years ago. Now I know what you’re thinking. Why set up a farm at a place like this?” Roger explained, quite proud of himself.

Sole nodded frantically, silently crossing her fingers he would just stop talking so they could inform him about the damn crops already. He seemed to be taking delight in her and X6’s internal pain the sick bastard.

Roger continued, “It might not look like much, and there’s that smell… But that’s the thing. See, this used to be a sewage plant. The most Fertile soil in the commonwealth is at our feet.”

Oh great, _now_ he tells them that they had just walked all over sewer waste. “I don’t care how fertile the soil is, this place reeks!” Sole squawked.

“That’s an understatement.” X6 decided to quip in from the other side of the room probably as equally disgusted as she was.

Roger narrowed his eyes and glanced back and forth between the both of them, then grinned sheepishly. At the doorway, X6 stepped aside to let June pass. Rogers smile spread into a cheesy crooked grin. June looked oddly at X6 as she passed him, wondering why he refused to come in. Her perfectly curled hair and lavender lipstick looked quite out of place in the Commonwealth. Sole wondered where in the heck she was able to get her hands on beauty tools. She went to the little stove at the side of the room and placed a pot with some miscellaneous food in it.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder June called to Sole, “You folks didn’t fun into too much trouble coming out here, I hope?”

That was it. This was Sole’s cue.

“Some bloodbugs chased me halfway across the Commonwealth, but I made it” she lied, using the designated Institute codephrase. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Roger’s smile immediately drop. His wooden seat creaked as he leaned forward towards Sole, placing his elbows on the table.

“Yeah, those things can be pretty territorial. Glad they didn’t catch you” Roger said in a low and almost ominous voice. His eyes linked with Soles, then he shot up from his seat and tossed a wink at June. “Since you traveled all this way, how about a quick tour? Of the whole grounds I mean.”

Codephrase successful, he knew what it meant. He was leading the two of them out of earshot of his wife and family to where they could conduct business. Sole smiled wryly and followed Roger as he strode out of his house with a brisk pace. X6 gave a curt nod and followed dutifully after they had passed. The farmhand, Sutton? Or something, Sole couldn’t remember his name, was standing suspiciously at the edge of the farming plot as they walked outside. His behavior seemed…off, but she just couldn’t place it. She noticed he was eyeing them suspiciously. Maybe he caught on that X6 was a synth? Crap. She shot X6 a glance, but he made no notion of action so she decided to drop it for now. Roger noticed him too and cleared his throat,

“Right this way, if you please. I’ll show you what we’ve been up to here at the Warwick Homestead.”

Roger led the pair over to the far edge the farm, right up against the coast. As if the smell couldn’t get any worse, now add rotting fish guts to the list of ew. As soon as they were all quite sure they were out of earshot, Roger turned on his heel towards her.

“You’ve got the seeds? Good, I’ll take those.” He asked in a hushed voice. Sole reached into her breast pocket and pulled out the packet that she had gotten at Bioscience. His eyes shifted from the seeds back to the farm as he snatched the object and shoved it in his pockets. “Listen, I need your help. The whole operation’s in danger of being exposed.”

Well that wasn't good. X6 hated setbacks. Right on cue, he took a step forward. Sole wondered if she would have to stop him from killing Roger out forthright. Man, how come none of their plans went smoothly?

“Why what happened?” She interrogated, getting quite annoyed.

“I think my foreman, Bill Sutton, suspects what I really am" He mentioned nodding his head towards the suspicious man. "He’s been spying on me, and having secret conversations with our farmhand, Cedric. Now he’s starting to work on my wife and kids, trying to turn them against me too.”

Sole furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. If she was in his position, she would hate it if some little rat was going behind her back and trying to turn family against each other because they thought he was a synth, even if it was true. She never even got a fighting chance with hers, she’d be damned if she didn’t help this poor sorry sod, even if he was a sadistic creep.

In a matter of seconds, X6 strode right up in front of Roger, looming over him menacingly. Crap this was bad! His entire presence, long black coat, dark glasses obscuring his face, powerful and assertive voice, all totaled into his commanding presence. Roger shrank back timidly.

“Your incompetence has jeopardized the entire operation” He accused harshly.

Roger’s eyes widened immensely and Sole’s gears finally clicked as she leapt forward, grabbing X6's shoulder.

“Hey hey hey, let’s just go find his buddy! Let’s not splatter his brains in front of his family. Although he might have signed his own will already” She pleaded in hopes of persuasion to X6-88, pulling on his steely solid shoulder.

A moment of extremely tense silence passed as a bead of sweat rolled down Sole’s forehead. Then, X6 broke away from Roger, stalking away from the farm. Delays were an annoyance, particularly unnecessary delays made by careless error. Why they put such an incompetent synth in charge of such delicate operations was beyond him.

Sole shifted her concern from the very much still frozen Roger, to the retreating wolf that was her partner. She mumbled a hasty apology to Mr. Warwick before jogging off to catch up to X6-88. He was going to want to finish this mission as soon as possible. They had enough delays for one day. Their next stop: Cedric.

\--

The gaudy lights of Goodneighbor cast an eerie glow on the slick asphalt that crunched beneath the boots of Sole and X6. The air was thick with humidity and the smells of recent drizzle mixed with jet clouds. Sickly ghouls passed them without a second glance, while the mafia-looking bodyguards eyed them dubiously. They needed to find Cedric, and all of their sources pointed to this city.

Admittedly, Sole had only visited Goodneighbor a handful of times. This had been one of her stops in her pursuit of Shaun. She had gotten side tracked once to help this poor old ghoul with his radio station. Poor man couldn’t differentiate between the harsh reality and the world of comic books, so she indulged his fantasies a bit longer. She did so enough to gain the respect of the enigmatic mayor Hancock, who helped her take down the looming crime boss Sinjin. Ever since then, he has served as her lucrative informant for proclivities around Central and North Boston.

Sole kicked open the paint-cracked door to Hancock’s office to find him lounging on his couch with Fahrenheit, popping some mentats. When he saw her, he put down his stash and welcomed her open armed.

“Ah how’s my favorite little crime-stopping companion?” He mused, strutting over and leaning in for a hug. He stopped when he saw X6 appear at her backside, staring down at him through his glasses.

“Oh stop it you.” She faked shy flattery, swatting at his arm. She cleared her throat “We are looking for a man, Cedric is his name. We have business to conduct.”

Hancock shrugged and walked back to his couch, leaning up against the side.

“Still traveling around the Commonwealth with your boyfriend? When are you going to dump him and come with me?” Hancock cajoled suavely.

Sole flushed as her eyes widened in panic, “Oh no X6, he isn’t-he’s not. We’re not like that! He helps me a lot. We’re just friends!” She looked frantically between X6, who appeared unfazed behind her, and Hancock, who was looking at her with an all-knowing expression.

“Ouch doll! If that were me, you would be hurting my little ghoul heart.” He imitated holding his broken heart in his hands. She heard X6 turn on his heel behind her and walk away. He probably wouldn't leave the building without her. Probably. Hancock continued, “Cedric rolled into town a few days ago. He’s been staying holed up in The Third Rail. Taking a liking to Magnolia I suppose. Creepy guy, just sits in the corner.”

She threw a gaudy wink at him, “Thanks Hancock, you’re the best!” and turned around to find X6 wherever he had gone. She was about to take off when Hancock stopped her.

“Woah now, not so fast! I’ve been keeping my guys on him because he’s seems mighty shady. He’s got his lips locked up tighter than a bank vault. You’re going to need to…add some leverage if you want him to talk. With the way you look now, he will smell you coming a mile away.”

Sole glanced down at her own attire. With the help of the Institute, she now had at least a matching set of armor made from synth parts. Never took off her vault suit though. That was her defining feature.

“What’s wrong with my clothes? I think I look dashing.” She complained, popping her hip up in a pose.

“And that you do! But trust me on this one, you’re gonna want to take my advice. Here I have a little something for you to help you…sweeten the pot a bit, so to speak.” He leaned over to Fahrenheit and whispered something in her ear. Understanding, she took off to the side room that Hancock presumably slept in.  He turned back to Sole, “Will you call back in your sulky bodyguard? I don’t want him going off on his own and spilling blood all over my club.”

She straightened up, realizing she had no idea where X6 had gone in actuality. His boots crunching down the staircase was the last thing she remembered hearing. She held up a finger in silent communication to Hancock to ‘wait a moment’ while she descended the spiral staircase calling X6’s name. Luckily, he was at the bottom floor near the front door display case, his head curled up towards the sound of his name.

“Are you finished? The sooner we get out of this piss-soaked hell hole, the better.”

“Hush! Stop being such a princess and come up and help me. Hancock wants you.”

Honestly, he could be so difficult at times. Begrudgingly X6-88 followed Sole back up the staircase to Hancock’s office. Sole bounded into the room first, and then right back out when she saw the shiny red dress that Fahrenheit was holding. Hancock had a wide grin on his face and intercepted her as he rushed to her side and quickly pulled her into the room.

“Right this way doll.” He chuckled as he shoved her behind the dividing screen. He leaned his head in and whispered discretely with his gravely voice, “you’ll thank me later.”

“Hancock!” She protested but was cut off by a red dress to the face.

When X6-88 stepped into the room, Fahrenheit quickly made sure to shut the doors behind him. Scheming devils those two. She then led him to the couch to sit while they waited for Sole to change. Hancock took the opposite couch directly across from the courser, leaning his elbows over his knees and folding his hands. X6’s posture was dignified and rigid, more tense with these humans he did not trust.

“So champ, how are you taking care of my favorite vault dweller?” Hancock questioned, his hands  expressing his words.

“I always put the needs of the Institute before my own. She is an invaluable member.”

“Hm. Well robo-man, here’s the shindig: Little Miss Sole over there is going to go down and gussy up to ole’ Cedric down in The Third Rail to get him to talk about whatever mission you guys are on. Now I don’t care what it is, I just want that guy outta my town 'ya hear? Shady characters are bad for business.” Hancock informed, delighting in the irony in his last assertion.

“We could always shoot him.” X6 retorted, which brought Hancocks attention to his large gun.

“Ah see, brains on the wall is bad for business too so none of that!”

They heard a shifting in the corner of the room. Both men's attentions turned towards the privacy screen.

“Um, Hancock this is a little embarrassing” came a small squeak from Sole as she shyly shuffled out of the room. When she stepped out into view, the light caught on the red shimmers and reflected off her face and the ground. It was quite low on the back and hugged every curve snugly. She looked very out of place. Hancock eyed her in admiration, whistling.

“Wow toots, you clean up nicely. Simply stunning.”

Sole eyed him skeptically, “Do I even want to know where you got this dress from?”

“Probably not. Hey buddy what do you think of your new partner?” Hancock whipped his head around to X6 who at some point, had stood up.

There was an extremely uncomfortable moment of silence as X6 ignored the question and continued to gaze at her. Not liking all the attention on her, Sole groaned loudly and stomped towards the door, to divert the attention away from her burning cheeks. Although she was a little disheartened to not get a reaction out of him, she really wasn’t sure she wanted to hear X6’s answer. He wasn’t known for tact. Descending the staircase and out through the front door, Sole made her way to the bar.

X6 followed.

\--

The Third Rail was slightly more crowded than usual, which actually worked out perfectly. The background noise would wash out any clandestine conversations they were hoping to have with Cedric. Sweet jazz filled the air. Perhaps she had forgotten that the majority population of Goodneighbor had been ghouls, for it seemed that everywhere she passed, lingering eyes were blatantly checking her out. This only served to add to her mounting embarrassment. She felt like a giant red target. Entering in the Third Rail, she tucked her hair behind her ear as Ham, the bouncer’s mouth dropped. She opened her mouth to ask him about Cedric but X6 stepped between her and Ham.

“Cedric. Where is he?” he demanded flatly.

“Cedric he-he is down at the floor-on the floor. Corner, back right. Can’t miss him” Ham stammered, looking quite silly with his submachine gun. Sole was painfully aware of his eyes trailing her backside as they passed him.

As the two descended the staircase, Sole leaned into X6 and whispered, “Alright here’s how this is going to go: I am going to try to flirt some information out of this Cedric guy, hopefully he will leave this Sutton case to rest, and we can all return home okay? I need you to stay near the back out of sight. If something goes wrong, I need you in my corner, capeesh?"

X6 leaned in too, “Is this something that you are capable of?” He didn’t even bother whispering. His voice was low enough.

Sole's head reeled, obviously appalled, “How rude! Of course I can do this. You still don’t trust me do you?” She tossed her hair over her shoulder in annoyance and shot a glare back at her partner, “Just you watch.”

With that, she turned her head up high and strut over to the bar countertop, making sure she exaggerated the sway in her hips each time. It was as if the people here hadn’t seen a dolled-up smoothskin before, which was silly since they had Magnolia. But she was new.

X6 retreated into the shadows as told.

“What can I get you?” asked White Chapel Charlie in his cockney British accent as soon as Sole got to the bar. Her eyes swept the room for anyone who could potentially be their target.

“Two old fashioned on the rocks.” She answered promptly as her eyes settled in on a man sitting in the corner around a small table next to the scrapped white picket fence that was being used as a half-wall. He was very much keeping to himself, not joining the crowd that took over the dance floor in front of Magnolia. That was probably him.

When the drinks came out, Sole slapped down 20 caps on the table and sauntered over to the mystery man. He quickly noticed her presence, eyeing her cautiously but she flashed him an award-winning smile as soon as their eyes met to diffuse the tension.

“Hey handsome. Cedric I presume?” She asked coyly.

He returned her smile. “You presume correctly. Here have a seat.”

Sole handed him his drink and sipped her own as she took up the seat next to him. Wow, Charlie certainly didn’t bother watering that down at all. He lasciviously eyed her up and down, eyes resting on her curves for more than a few acceptable seconds, creating an awkward tension. Ugh, this guy was giving her the creeps.

“Now what’s a pretty thing like you coming to an old man like me in this beaten up old pub?” His voice was raspy and full of hidden intentions. As much as she didn’t want to, she swallowed her pride for the good of the mission.

“I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time I suppose.” She sipped her drink innocently, making sure to raise the pitch of her voice.. “I’m from far away you see, all the way north from this place called Zimonja. I was heading down to this farm, Warwick, where my uncle Bill works as a farmhand. Have you ever heard of it?”

Cedric’s eyes narrowed at the name and Sole thought it was all over. However, he just smiled and leaned in closer to her. His breath reeked of many mixed drinks.

“Now why would you be bringing a dress like that down to a dirty farm like Warwick?” His voice lowered an octave at the question. He was obviously suspicious. Shit. She needed to think up of an excuse quickly.

To buy time, Sole threw out a giggle and rested her hand on Cedric’s forearm, an action he appeared to be pleased with. “Well you see, the plan was to hit Diamond City before going to Warwick. I heard absolutely _marvelous_ things about this bar there called Colonial Taphouse. But silly me got mixed up in my directions and I ended up here instead. I thought I wouldn’t even get to wear this old thing but now…” She batted her lashes at Cedric “now I think that it wasn’t a mistake to come here.”

Content with this answer, Cedric nodded. Sole was about to let out a sigh of relief when Cedric reached his hand near her chest, grabbed a piece of hair, and slowly tossed it behind her shoulder, making sure his finger dragged across the exposed skin of her collarbone as he did it. She froze, a shiver running up her spine. Casting an almost undetectable glance down at Cedric, she saw his pants start to bulge around his pelvis. Gross! A knot of terror began to form in he pit of her stomach and she began to weigh her situation in her mind. It began to dawn on her than many of the outcomes she thought of did not end well for her.

Cedric moved his head to where his lips were almost against her ear. His hot and sticky breath made her skin crawl. “You see, I was holding out here for this Magnolia babe, but I think I’d rather have a sweet thing like you instead. I don’t think you want to head down to Warwick just yet. Maybe your uncle hasn’t told you, but they’re experiencing some…spooky synth problems down on the farm. Too dangerous for a pretty girl such as yourself. Why don’t you come with me to my room instead. I’ll take care of you until it’s all over.”

He reached his hand out and laid it on her upper thigh. Sole almost yelped out in surprise when a hand shot out of nowhere and snatched Cedric’s wrist up into the air.

“No.”

It was X6-88! His voice came out as a sinister command. She had almost forgotten he was here. In her panic, she had excluded the possibility of a bail out. Cedric looked incredulously between the two. Sole jumped up from her chair and quickly turned to go stand behind X6.

“He knows. He has Sutton’s plans.” Sole informed quickly. Her heart hammered against her chest as her insides still churned at the thought of what might have happened had X6 not intervened when he did. Always the protector.

“Who the hell are you?” Cedric yelled at X6, snatching his wrist back. X6 said nothing and instead continued glaring back at him. Even though his eyes could not be seen, you could just tell.

“We want to know what Bill Sutton’s plans are for Roger Warwick.” Sole questioned, trying her hardest to make sure her words came out as assertive, even though her legs were shaking.

Cedric’s eyes darkened, and the look of betrayal he had first cast at Sole was replaced by one of anger and humiliation.

Throwing his hands up, he huffed “The thing is, I don’t see how any of this is your god damn business, unless maybe Roger put you up to this. I should’ve known, there was something fishy about your story.”

Cedric eyed the two of them as if he had figured something out as he leaned back in his chair. Sole’s eyes were wide, body still trembling with adrenaline, waiting to hear the sales pitch.

“Tell you what, though – maybe we can help each other out.” He clicked his tongue at the pause. “If I’ve learned anything here, it’s that information’s got a price, just like everything else. I got no particular loyalty to Bill Sutton or to Roger Warwick, so make me an offer and let’s see what happens.”

This man was so unbearable. He was so slimy, even his words felt like snakes slithering over her skin. Sole grabbed X6’s arm and held herself close to him, almost like a child. Even though he was lithe and still, he absolutely radiated anger. His legs were shoulder-width apart, in fighting stance. He was prepared. She didn’t know how he did it, but with just an intonation in his voice, he could change his entire presence. However, Cedric did not seem like he was going to budge. His snake eyes continued to eye them amusingly.

“If that’s what it takes, fine!” Sole threw down 300 caps.

He laughed, “Oh honey, it’s going to take more than that to make me talk. Make it 600”

“Are you crazy?!” She scoffed, releasing X6’s arm, only to throw her own on her hips. “Hell no, 400.”

“500 and you got yourself a deal.”

Sole squinted her eyes at him. Caps weren’t necessarily that much of an issue for her any more, since Father provided her with whatever she needed mostly at a fraction of the cost, but it physically pained her to part with her money to this-this slimeball!

“Fine! Just tell me” She tossed down another 200 caps on the table.

X6 decided now would be a good time to pipe in, “We should kill him later and take back the caps. We might need them for more bribes.” He offered harshly.

Sole’s head reeled back towards him, both in shock and admiration at his cunning violence. Damn he could be cold! His heart was below zero.

She gave him a wicked smile. “Clever! I like that idea, let’s do that. He tried to grope me, he should die.” She pointed a finger accusingly towards Cedric.

As soon as the last syllable dropped, X6 had his rifle readied and pressed to Cedric’s temple so fast the man’s eyes went white as ghosts as he flailed his arms.

“Wait! Wait! Take them! Take your caps back, I’ll tell you what you need! Just let me live.”

Wasting no time, Sole quickly recollected her caps, shoving them in her money pouch and exchanged dirty glances with Cedric before returning to X6’s side, who had now holstered his weapon. Amazingly, no one else in the bar seemed to care that there was almost a gunfight. Ah, Goodneighbor.

Cedric spilled the plans on how Sutton gave him caps to go to Goodneighbor to hire a mercenary to take out Roger, but then he double crossed him by taking the caps for his own gain and stayed in town. Sole rolled her eyes at his disgusting behavior, called him a pig, and then dragged X6, who had been maintaining vigilant eye contact with him, out of the bar.

Leaving through the front doors revealed that it was much later than she had thought: 1:16am according to her pip-boy. Crisp air greeted them. Goosebumps raised on her skin as she shivered, secretly hating Hancock for making her wear this non-thermal impractical dress. X6 and Sole made their way back towards their room at Hotel Rexford. She thought about Cedric and the lingering feeling of his hands on her chest and thigh. It put a foul taste in her mouth.

Turning her eyes towards X6 she realized that she had yet to properly thank him.

“Hey X6, thank you so much for…saving me back there. I don’t even want to think what might have happened if….” She trailed off, not wanting to follow that line of thought. Her teeth clattered. The road back to the hotel seemed longer in the cold.

Without a word, X6 disrobed his courser jacket and placed it over Sole’s shoulders. Underneath, he wore a simple black, long-sleeved t-shirt and the same black pants that tucked into his boots. Plain and simple, just like him. The heavy leather jacket instantly warmed her up, making her wonder how the hell he was able to tote this during the day when it reached higher degrees.

Sole began to protest before X6 cut her off.

“Ma’am, you are more susceptible to extreme weather, or men” he trailed off with blunt affect. "At times like these, you should just allow me to protect you."

“Still, I owe you.” She insisted, suddenly feeling bashful. Just these little actions made her feel so happy inside. Keeping her from harm, giving her his jacket, all in stride.

“Your health is of utmost importance. It is my duty as the courser assigned to you, to keep you in optimal conditions.”

“Hmm” she grunted back, dissatisfied with his answer. He always seemed to turn it back to the Institute. It could never be just about him. The little nothings were just that to him, nothings. X6 kept getting ahead of her, unsure of how to match his pace with the slow, uneven steps of high heels.

Noticing her sudden reluctance to talk he breathed in, and out. Then speaking ahead of him, he slowly added, “For what it’s worth, I think you look…nice.”

Her cheeks flushed at his compliment, burning so hard that she recoiled into the collar of his jacket. Was she really this foolish to blush at one compliment? Why was she blushing anyway? It didn't mean anything to him. He never made passes at her or gave indication that he was interested. For all intents and purposes, he believed he was just a robot. He the bodyguard, her the protected. Nothing more, nothing less.

However, in times of such confusion, Sole liked to conduct little experiments to test her hypotheses. The red stretched to her ears and her stomach flipped at what she had dared to say next.

“Can-can I hold your hand? My knees are still trembling a little.” She murmured, almost inaudibly.

X6 didn’t respond at first, which made her question if she had even really asked the question out loud or if it was all in her mind. Then, without turning towards her at all, he reached out his hand, opening his palm towards her. Sole couldn’t stop herself from smiling like an idiot as she greedily laced her small fingers in with his larger ones. She buried her secret smile into his jacket. Contrasted to what he would have her believe, his hand was actually really warm. It was large and calloused; the hands of a courser.

And just like that, Sole and X6-88 walked silently hand in hand, all the way back to Hotel Rexford.


	6. Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X6-88 is so protective of you he literally threatens almost all of the companions if they don’t keep you safe. It’s so cute haha. Lot of dialogue this time. I wasn’t sure if Volkert would’ve been better for the job than Binet but the reason I chose the latter was because he talks about REM sleep in synths and mentions maintenance which is I guess equivalent to “robot doctor.” Being a psych major this chapter was fun for me to write because I LOVE brains.

**Chapter 6: Heartbeat**

It was an unusually warm day for almost being winter. Still crisp and dry, but the sun sweltered. December was just around the corner and Sole was absolutely crushed to find out that it no longer snowed in the Commonwealth. Apparently nuclear explosions are not so good for the environment, obliterating ice caps and such.

X6-88 and Sole trudged back to Sanctuary Hills exhausted. Their last mission with Sutton and Warwick did not end on such a cheery note as she had to convince the former to literally not blow the latter’s brains out in front of his children. Bill probably wouldn’t be seeing very many more paying days at Warwick. Nevertheless, X6 seemed pleased with the outcome of the mission.

“I need to go check in with the SRB for our monthly reports” X6 informed her as they approached the main house.

He had only gone back a few times, twice accompanying Sole. She decided it would be better to just let him go do his thing. It still felt weird in the Institute; everything was too perfect, too clean. It reminded her of all her imperfections and short-comings.

Sole smiled at him, “That’s okay, I found a General Atomics place a while back and was thinking of taking Codsworth to check it out with me. Just meet me back here when you’re done.”

“Affirmative.”

With the most perfect timing, Codsworth came wheeling around the bend of the street towards them. Apparently word had gotten out that they were back.

“Miss Sole, I am delighted to see that you have returned safely from your traveling endeavors. Might we go to that General Atomics place you mentioned before?”

“Of course Codsworth! Give me a day to rest and we’ll head right back out!” Sole promised.

“Of course mum!” he piped cheerfully. Sole started to walk into the house in pursuit of a soft bed to nap on when she noticed X6 hadn’t moved from his spot. Turning her head around she saw his head was still trained on Codsworth.

“If you fail in this assignment, Codsworth, I will personally make sure that you are dismantled and then melted down,” X6 threatened. Oh good lord.

Codsworth whirred fearfully. His cute little bowler hat Sole had gifted him slid forward a bit down his sphere.

“Hey! Stop scaring my friends!” Sole retaliated but was ignored. The more they traveled together, the more protective he had gotten over her. Figuring he was the most suitable for the job, he took to terrorizing her other traveling companions if she so much as had a scratch on her when they came back.

Thankfully, Codsworth was still as chipper as ever. “You have nothing to fear, Mister X. I am well aware of my duties,” he asserted proudly putting a metallic arm to his body.

X6 didn’t say anything more but held his gaze warningly until the second he was teleported out to emphasize his point. Sole sighed. This is why no one wanted to be his friend.

\--

Synth Retention Bureau was his destination as X6 stood, hands folded behind his back, while the cylindrical glass elevator lowered him to the Institute common room. Out in the Commonwealth where everything was just a shot away from death, he had to watch not only his back but Sole’s too. Here in the Institute, there was no real danger. Everything was safe and secure. This truly was to be the future of the world. Everything they had accomplished down here further proved it.

When the glass doors silently slid open, X6 marched out to follow the path of black lines, indicated for coursers, to the white SRB. No one even glanced at him as he passed the many workers in different colored lab coats. It was not customary in the Institute to greet synths unlike in the Commonwealth. He was here for business.

Boots clicked to a stop as he pressed his thumb on the security scanner. The familiar beep of recognition accompanied the obliged opening of the doors. During his adventures in the Commonwealth, X6 would record frequent reports on his watch, which were all sent back to the SRB and transposed into a report. Grabbing the clipboard readied for him, he entered the meeting room. X9-27 and X4-18 were already seated at the table as X6-88 walked in. Much like the rest of the Institute, the SRB kept its temperature at a low 67 degrees Fahrenheit. He sat down wordlessly at the sterile silver table. Ayo was not there yet.

One of the coursers took notice of him as he entered, “X6, the first courser assigned as a bodyguard, how fairs the Commonwealth?” X9-27 asked wryly, turning his pristine hair and sharp features towards him. Even though it was asked as a normal question, it was meant as an underhanded insult. Coursers were trained in psychology; they knew how to get under skin. X6 knew why. When the announcement was made that he would be the courser chosen to take care of Father’s most important person, X6 felt the unrest that surfaced amongst his comrades. While yes, he was a courser trained for high risk-assault and retrieval, he was assigned the role of a mere bodyguard. But out of all of them, he was the one chosen. It was the utmost honor to have ever been bestowed to a synth in the history of the Institute. The hate was almost refreshing.

“Dismal as ever,” X6 quipped, the corner of his mouth tweaking into a half-smile. Just then, Justin Ayo walked into the room and took his seat at the end of the table. He sighed as he shuffled his clipboard and papers together. Ayo hated these meetings and made no attempt to hide it. He expressed such a dislike for synths despite them being his profession.

“Alright let’s get started. X4-18, how many synths did you retrieve in the past month?”

“Eight sir” X4-18 replied.

“Good. X9-27 you were assigned to intercept a Railroad mission. How did that go?”

“I am still working to understand the workings of their communication” X9-27 responded.

Ayo furrowed his brow clearly displeased, “Well you might want to hurry up on that. We can’t be losing our technology to those annoyances. Please be more detailed in your further reports.”

“Yes sir.” X9-27 bowed his head.

Then Ayo turned his attention to X6, “Ah, the star of the show so to speak. X6-88 you were recently dispatched to Libertalia earlier this month and continued to travel with Miss Sole for the duration of November, correct? Your report was very interesting…” Ayo flipped through his papers, scrutinizing it, “In it, you make mention of Miss Sole’s skill in combat.”

“Yes.” X6-88 confirmed. “While I have yet to make up my mind about her, her combat abilities are something to be lauded. We did have some setbacks in the beginning, but our total mission lapsed time at Libertalia was only 53 minutes and 42 seconds; a record time for a newbie.”

“Yes that certainly is… peculiar” Ayo trailed off dryly.

“I do not think I’ve ever heard you praise anyone X6, she must be pretty extraordinary” X4-18 commented nodding his head in admiration. “Tell us more.” X4 had always been more congenial towards him than X9, but was still as equally as cold towards him after X6 had gotten his position.

X6 obliged, “Not only does she possess a great deal of accuracy, she also is skilled at hacking and persuasion. Raiders, turrets, hell, even mirelurk queens don’t pose problems for her. If she were a synth I have absolutely no doubts that she would be singled out for courser training-” then he stopped. What was he doing? He was surprised at how amazed he sounded. X4 was right; he _had_ never complimented someone this much before! He thought back to Libertalia and the sight of Sole’s serious face as the bullets from her rifle landed square in the heads of their enemies. She was so focused, so determined. Her regal posture as she dashed across the boards of the-

" _Ahem_ ," he cleared his throat. Ayo’s unwavering suspicious look snapped him out of his daydream. “Yes… well, that certainly is something. I guess that concludes our meeting. I want all of you to have a nice, long recharge. You’ve earned it. I will have your further orders transmitted to your watches. That is all.”

With that the meeting concluded. X6 noted the dark look X9 gave him when their eyes met. If this wasn’t a professional atmosphere, X6 would have been openly proud at his envy. However, he was still left with the puzzling conundrum of why he was still thinking about Sole. This had happened once before as he recalled, back when they rescued Mrs. Abernathy from Backstreet Apparel near Diamond City.

X6 took a deep breath. Now was as good a time as ever to look into his concerns now that he was back. Time to head over to his least favorite place in the Institute: Robotics.

\--

Although Robotics was disputably one of the most important places in the Institute for reasons such as synth creation, development, and maintenance, it was degrading whenever a synth had to go in because something was wrong, let alone a courser.

Making sure he was out of sight from any other coursers, X6 slipped in through the red-lined doors of the Robotics lab. The smell of iron filled the air as a finished synth stepped out of the creation pool. Another layout for a synth was already prepped for the goliath machine to start working on. Out of all the labs in the Institute, this one was the loudest. Machines whirred and buzzed, filling the air with an unpleasant noise. The scientists stared at him as he strode by, making a beeline towards Alan Binet, who was furiously scribbling something on his clipboard.

“Binet. I have a matter of importance I need to discuss with you in private.” X6 coolly stated, apparently startling Binet, whose pencil clattered to the desk.

Alan Binet cast a look of utter confusion to X6, “I don’t see what you would need with me, but okay.”

Guiding him to a secluded corner of the room, X6 wheeled around to face Binet who crossed the red sleeves of his arms, still wondering what business a courser could possibly have with him.

X6 dropped his voice a decibel, just to ensure no one could hear their conversation, “I believe I have contracted a condition up on the surface. Either that, or there is a minor error in my programming.”

Binet scoffed, “that’s doubtful, our newest model gen-3s such as yourself are highly resistant to virile strains of surface diseases. As for a programming error, you would notice motor dysregulation or thought disturbances.”

“Yes… I am not sure. Perhaps I have contracted a mutated strain.”

“Hmm. Okay, describe to me your symptoms then X6-88.”

X6 thought back to his times in the Commonwealth. The times when Sole stood a little too close to him. The times when they were shooting at enemies side-by-side. When her eyes bore into his through the wall of his glasses.

“There is an irregularity with my heartbeat, suggesting arrhythmia or inconsistent blood flow. My face seems to heat up without any prior engagement in strenuous exercise. Rarely even, my palms will sweat. These symptoms seem to randomly appear and have been occurring in greater frequency the more time I spend out on the surface”

Binet scratched his head, racking his brain, looking completely bewildered. “That IS odd” he contemplated. “Anything else?”

X6 paused, calling to mind what happened during his SRB meeting. He adjusted his glasses, oddly nervous, before adding, “There is... one other thing. In addition to this aberration of my blood flow, my cognitive functioning also seems to be impaired. There are times when I focus on…something, for an exorbitant amount of time, impairing my ability to efficiently monitor my surroundings.”

Binet frowned. “Follow me” he said as he led X6 over to his table and grabbed his clipboard once more. Papers were scattered haphazardly. This man could definitely fool you. While he was the mind that had come up with many of the new synth innovations and features, his lack of organization left something to be desired. Alan slumped down at his table, scribbling something.

“Well since you frequent the surface you might have sustained some brain damage from combat, which could potentially affect your other bodily functions. If we had the time, I would take a brain scan. My guess? The problem is in your telencephalon. However, ever since the inevitable death of Z2-47 at the hands of that insufferable woman, you coursers have been so overworked lately. Too bad, I do quite enjoy a challenge.” Binet was also one of the scientists who had doubts about Sole.

Then, as if an idea popped into his head, Binet jumped out of his seat and rushed over to the back storage case. X6 watched him grab an applicator and rush back over, producing it happily.

“Now I can’t do anything if there is a programming error residing in your brain, which can be fixed if we had more time, but here is an ingestible to remedy your heart palpitations. I didn’t think of this before because it is used for humans, but I’d be curious to see how it affects synths. Probably the same I would assume.”

Grabbing the applicator, X6 nodded and thanked him as he stood up to leave. He was relieved that he had come here for he did not think it was going to be that easy. Just as the doors opened, Binet called to him over his shoulder.

“X6-88! I forgot, be wary for the side effects can produce increased oxytocin in your blood. It might feel strange but you should be fine! Remember your training!”

His training was his life. He did not need some scientist telling him to remember. However, X6 just nodded as he left the lab and went to return to the charging station. Every once in a while, synths would need to be recharged in order to ensure glitches in their programming matrices didn’t occur. It was suspected that lack of charging was in part the reason why synths rebelled. It was akin to human sleeping.

X6 looked down at his applicator. Even though had received the elite training in all subjects including anatomy and chemistry, he was never taught the specifications of medicine or neurotransmitters. He knew though that the Institute had some of the most brilliant minds in the world so he trusted them. Shoving the applicator it into his pocket, he entered the small room where X4 and X9 were already asleep. Oxytocin huh? He pushed the question away as he climbed into his charging bunk. It didn’t matter. Soon he would be in optimal condition to return to Sole.

Soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Brain Facts:
> 
> Telencephalon: cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala
> 
> Amygdala: seat of the emotions, particularly negative ones, and also involved in emotional memory, and fight-or-flight responses.
> 
> Right hemisphere damage is associated with difficulty perceiving other’s emotions, failure to understand humor/sarcasm, and a monotone voice (hint hint), while left hemisphere damage is more associated with difficulty in accurately judging/perceiving emotion.
> 
> Oxytocin: hehe look it up


	7. Electric Sheep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a delicate chapter for me because I embellish the facts with my own bullshit. I realize that many of you might have your own ideas about what X6’s past might look like and they’re all probably equally as amazing. I did my best to connect everything while glossing over some plot holes (aka Shaun’s genes = g3 DNA but g3’s existed before him: Harkness, Valentine). While we never get to see his true past, we get hints of the process he had to go through to become a courser. Review of FO4: X6 was the courser that took Shaun from Kellogg at DC meaning that he was selected well before Shaun even got to the Institute. I also reference FO3 for any of you Fallout diehards! 
> 
> P.S. If you understand this chapter reference, just know that I love you.

**Chapter 7: Electric Sheep**

The mechanical hum of the bunks filled the room, drowning out the thoughts of Alan Binet who sat in the corner of the room on a stool. The room was lit up an eerie blue from the piping from the charging bunks the coursers slept on. He needed to take a routine inventory of their sleeping behaviors for any irregularities. The conversation he had with X6-88 was still bothering him. In the history of the Institute, courser training had proven obsolete. All except for one…

The door to the bunker swished open as Father stepped through, taking the side of Binet. He leaned down and spoke in a hushed voice so as not to bother the coursers.

“You mentioned you needed to see me. How are they doing?”

Binet’s wiry hair was sticking in every direction as he turned his attention to X6. The monotonous whir of air conditioning and machinery buzz dulled his thoughts.

“Yes. Your prodigal courser, designation: X6-88” he droned, motioning his hand to the bunks. He stood up and guided Father to the side of the bed. “Notice how his eyes move. He is dreaming. Not only is this an extremely rare phenomenon among synths, the only other courser in history to have been able to engage in REM sleep was… designation A3-21.”

Father folded his arms and closed his eyes, a dark shadow passing over his wise brow. “Codename Alpha” he muttered softly.

Binet shifted his weight nervously, “Yes indeed. X6-88 came to me late yesterday informing me of ‘programming errors’ as he put it. He is noticing irregularities in his bodily functions that are akin to the human emotions that were supposed to be eradicated during training, although I doubt he has yet to realize it. What should we do? This is the courser assigned to your mother after all.”

Father stared down at X6 with a pained expression. “Keep monitoring him. I want to be notified of any irregularities in his behavior from now on.”

“Yes Father.”

\--

A faint photograph. A distant memory faded into view and enveloped the scene in a white blur. When it came into focus, X6-88 was there, sweeping the pristine carbon halls of the Institute. He was dressed in the same white jumpsuit as the rest of the gen-3 synths. When the latest model of synth came out, Robotics was issued an order to create a batch in bulk: the X-model series. This model was supposed to be the first batch of perfected synths, no glitches, no malfunctions, just pure software. The first gen-3s; modeled from the genes of a child. He vaguely remembered smiling to one of the other synths as he worked.

The scene morphed. Not long after the X-model series synths stepped out of the creation pool, they were sent to programming which would detail them on their jobs. X6 sat, in perfectly arranged chairs in perfectly arranged rows. Allie Filmore pounded furiously on the projector that didn’t seem to want to turn on, her face turning red with irritation. Perhaps it was lucky that he happened to be the synth sitting right behind the projector and perhaps it was lucky that a paperclip caught his eye. Bowing respectfully, X6 opened the lid of the projector, and using that paperclip, bypassed the power couplings that had short-circuited and connected the current to another wire. Wordlessly, he sat back down. That was his first mark.

The memory faded away to black as another one took its place. Being assigned to sanitation duty meant a lot of late night shifts after all of the humans had gone to sleep. He was only assigned to hall duty that night, not anything else. Yet, something pulled him into the inviting blue back-lit doors of Advanced Systems. Almost like a calling. Lights flickering on at the first signs of motion, a laser rifle caught his eye. Only the coursers were allowed to carry these. They must have had an accuracy drill earlier. If X6 had been more obedient maybe he wouldn’t have picked up that rifle and aimed it at the freshly replaced targets. No one was there anyway; no one would see him land precise hits on those targets seeing as they would be replaced by tomorrow morning. No one except the security camera. That was his second mark.

The scenery shifted to a few years later. The first of the X-model synths had rebelled, stolen a pistol, and shot the head of the Institute. There was chaos. Coursers were quick to send everybody back to their rooms or stations assuring them that the danger had passed. The head of the Institute was dead, what did this mean? Demanding answers earned him a punch to the face and led him no closer to the truth. By this time X6 had become very skilled at avoiding detection. He knew every hall and corner of the Institute and patiently waited for the coursers to turn their backs before slinking to the terminal next to a storage closet. In the past few years, there had been a hacking issue among the terminals. Coursers were confounded, looking for the menace. X6 was that menace. Computers just spoke to him. They had written commands that told a computer how to run and could be manipulated with only a few keystrokes. Before it was only to sate his curiosity about courser dispatch to the surface, or gun specifications in the armory, or new plans to improve synth designs. Now he was about to hack into the most important terminal yet: the head of the Institute's. How was X6 to know that the head’s terminal coding was encrypted and had a failsafe to log the designation number of anyone that tried to hack into it? That was his third mark.

The next week X6-88 was sought out to become a courser. He was told that his tenacity, fearlessness, and independence all qualified him for courser training. Dr. Zimmer, previous head of the SRB, assumed the position as the temporary leader of the Institute. Training regimen intensified under his supervision. X6 honestly doesn’t really remember much of the beginning. All he remembers is the intense pain he felt as they shattered his bones, seared his flesh, and broke his mind. In order to be rebuilt as a courser, you must first be torn down.

Then, the isolation.

As a courser in training, you were not to have any relations with other synths or humans. There was only you, the coursers, and Dr. Zimmer. It was in this period of isolation that they were taught psychology for the purposes of intimidation, combat for assault, investigative techniques for hunting, and mechanical skills in order to notice signs within the environment. They were drilled on their capacity for precision in both armed and unarmed combat. Dr. Zimmer swore to make a more obedient wave of coursers and so he added a month onto the isolation period where each trainee would spend numerous hours in front of a screen, watching videos and propaganda of the Institute and how it was the future of the Commonwealth. Their eyes were forced open while they watched. There was so much pain.

During one of their training sessions, Dr. Zimmer had been in a foul mood. X6 was just sitting quietly, awaiting instruction, when he struck him across the face. His eyes were too disrespectful, he said. They stared at him with such a defiance he had never seen, he claimed. X6 still wasn't sure why he was singled out, but he from then on, he became the target of extra harassment every training session. Disgusted and disturbed by his apparent gaze, Dr. Zimmer ordered X6 to wear glasses and never take them off. He never wanted to gaze upon his eyes again. So from then on, sunglasses became a distinct part of X6's identity.

The final test was a hellish practice. While a handful of gen-3’s were chosen, only 5 could come out on top. They pit them against each other in pairs in battles to the death in order to replicate life expectancy up on the surface. The winners of the first test were then given a written exam, of which they had to achieve a perfect score or their minds were wiped of the entire training regimen and reassigned back to their gen-3 duties. There were an unfortunate number of 6 synths left after the exam which Dr. Zimmer begrudgingly accepted. And just like that, designation X6-88 became one of the elite coursers of the Institute.

Years went by. X6 got to see firsthand the ugly nature of the Commonwealth, and how futile its existence was in comparison to the Institute. Surface dwellers were scrapping to get by on their pitiful existence completely unaware of the successes of the Institute. There had been talks of a new brand of gen-3 synths, ones that could age, but that idea had been abandoned long ago. They were to be called the beta-series synths.

He remembered hearing stories of how Dr. Zimmer had hired a mercenary named Kellogg to go hunt down a pre-war child for its genes in order to create synths. X6 also knew that all of the new gen-3’s were based off of the DNA extracted from this baby. It all seemed like a conspiracy. He had only heard rumors of this child. It wasn’t until later that X6-88 met him. He was the glory child. He was the shining savior. The Institute was placing its future in the hands of a child. How foolish.

However he had been wrong. He had been so wrong. X6 watched this young boy grow into a capable and intelligent man. His admirable accomplishments not only allowed him to become inducted as a member of the staff, he also was the one that sought out the perfection of a reversal serum to the FEV virus, and found it at the hands of a team of scientists. He reorganized the sects of the Institute, giving them structure and purpose. In all of his years, X6 had never seen a more capable leader. Dr. Zimmer elevated Father’s position to his protégée.

Then…Codename Alpha happened.

He was the first courser to ever escape. The alarms blared as all the doors shut to lockdown in the Institute. Designation A3-21 was a senior courser to X6-88. There had been no prior indication of discontent, but one day he just vanished. Dr. Zimmer screamed and threw things across the board table in fury. The heads of the Institute were fearful, Shaun among them. Courser training was meant to indoctrinate the utmost core values of the Institute in every agent. They were equipped with the highest training and knowledge they had to offer; so when A3-21 went AWOL, it threw the Institute off its axis. The heads of the room decided to dub the incident ‘Codename Alpha.’

X6-88 was ordered to reprogram A3-21’s watch from the Institute so that it sent back pings of the courser’s location. Appearing to have worked, they had been receiving location markers heading far south to a region known as the Capital Wasteland until it cut off at a place called Rivet City. Not even a month before the signal cut out, Dr. Zimmer took a synth with him to track down A3-21. He was there for a few weeks before returning with the chip, a solemn look on his face. With the help of a Lone Wanderer, he had discovered A3’s unfortunate demise. Doors to the safe were shut tight as the chip was locked away. The situation was said to be resolved.

Two years later, Dr. Zimmer passed away and Shaun took up the position as director of the Institute. They were to call him Father.

Something about Codename Alpha never sat right with X6-88. It all happened too seamlessly and without proper explanation. Trust your instinct. It was the reason he was considered one of the best coursers. One day, X6 approached Father with a proposal: he wanted to unlock the safe in order to analyze the recovered chip.

Father always seemed to have a slight affinity for X6-88. He was the one that brought him to the Institute. For some reason, this had caused Father too always look more highly upon his accomplishments. Just as he suspected, Father agreed.

X6-88 disassembled and hacked into the chip to uncover something that confirmed his suspicions. The chip had been tampered with and removed by human hands. This was enough evidence to convince Father to agree to send him on a mission to Rivet City. X6 remembered the last directive Father had given him as he had begun to walk away: “Make an example out of him.”

The Capital Wastelands were undoubtedly more dismal and stripped than the worst parts of the Commonwealth; almost an embodiment of death itself. When X6-88 reached Rivet City, he was welcomed. The people here had never even heard of a courser before. This made it easy to get information out of them.

Eventually all of his sources pointed him towards a person named Dr. Pinkerton, an underground legend. Through much exhaustive searching, X6 managed to track him down to the submerged bow of the ship that was Rivet City. There he found all the answers he needed. Designation A3-21 sought out Dr. Pinkerton for a facial reconstruction and memory wipe and was now masquerading around Rivet City as a security guard named Harkness. Dr. Pinkerton then proceeded to reveal the before and after pictures of his work to X6. Then the name Victoria Watts came up. This woman had taken an apparent vested interest in A3-21’s escape. X6 grinned and thanked the doctor for his information. Then he splattered his brains all over the walls of the secluded laboratory. His eyes had bulged with betrayal as multiple lasers pierced his body. No one interfered with the Institute.

This still didn’t answer what had happened to the tampered chip. Killing Harkness would have to wait for a few more days. Victoria Watts was his next destination.

Watts proved to be even more tight-lipped and suspicious than anyone else on the ship. A more forceful method would need to be enforced. Late at night, when all Rivet City’s residents were asleep, X6 kidnapped Ms. Watts and dragged her down to the secluded bow of the ship. There, amongst the gore and blood, he tortured her. He almost admired her strength and reluctance to speak, but it only caused him to push harder. It took her four full days to break before X6 slit her throat. She had been the one that tampered with the chip. Victoria Watts, representative of the Railroad. That was the first time the Institute ever heard of them.

Harkness was surprisingly easy to take out. Father ordered him to make an example out of this synth and that he would. In the middle of the marketplace in broad daylight, X6-88 destroyed the last trace of the Institute’s mistake with a bullet to the brain. The once elite courser, A3-21 died as the pitiful man of Harkness. Out of the pool of his synthetic blood, X6-88 picked up A3-21’s plasma rifle that was now sullied, and walked right out the front door of Rivet City. No one even stopped him. He could kill every single one of them in a matter of seconds, and they knew it.

It was sometime after that, that word about the menace of the Institute spread from the Capital Wasteland to the Commonwealth.

Codename Alpha was finally put to rest. The plasma rifle retrieved from Harkness was greedily taken up by the Advanced System scientists who wanted to try replicating new ballistic methods on their older model weapons. The gun was renamed Experiment 18-A and was put on display for everyone in the Institute to see. It was a reminder that no one escaped the Institute. No one could leave. To all synths, it was a message that they were property and if they escaped, the only future that awaited them was the same horrific fate as A3-21.

Ever since then, X6-88 was regarded as the most powerful and ruthless courser to have ever existed. Father made no attempt to hide his favoritism towards him, as he was assigned him the most dangerous and important missions the Institute had to offer.

Suddenly, Father began making outrageous requests for new “child” synths. This baffled many of the members of the Institute for why would their director want to make a 10 year old version of himself? The Institute rushed to produce a child that met his demands. No one ever did find out why he requested this; he kept those secrets locked away in the recesses of his mind. The new technology revitalized the abandoned idea of the beta-series. The only ones that knew the specifications were the scientists in Robotics. Synthetic Shaun was the first beta. The prototype.

6 years later, Sole woke up.

Even though he received the same training as the other coursers, X6’s success during Codename Alpha qualified him for this position more than anyone else. X6 was to protect his mother. He was given strict orders not to interfere until she sought the Institute of her own volition; all part of Father’s little “experiment.” Growing up without parental figures, X6 figured that this was the only way Father could test his mother’s affection towards him. In the past year, Father had sent synth Shaun to the surface with Kellogg for a “project.” No one knew the details. No one knew Father’s plans with Shaun. It wasn’t until one of their scientists, Brian Virgil, went missing that X6-88 was deployed to retrieve Shaun back from Diamond City. Whatever Father’s plan was, it included keeping Shaun away from his mother; at least for the time being.

Then, she appeared.

In all her glory she appeared. Looking terribly lost and confused, many had a hard time seeing any of Father in her. She seemed too emotional, too rash. She was bright though, inquiring about everything she saw, prying every little detail out of everyone as to better understand them. This bright, new world was confusing yet fascinating to her.

Then, Libertalia. X6-88’s course was set in stone as he set out to embark on his most important mission.

The Prodigy and the Legacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I tried reading my own story and even I got bored. Sorry for the history lesson! I wanted to build a foundation that connected X6 with Father and the past. It was the only way I could think to tie up loose ends between FO3 and FO4. I left out Dr. Li (who was in Rivet City) because it would’ve just made this chapter way too long.


	8. Nudity is Not SAFE for Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Back to the fun stuff. Ever wondered how X6-88 would respond to the SAFE test at Covenant? Also his reaction to SS nudity is so damn hilarious I couldn’t NOT put it in this series. What better way to do that than to tie it to his “side effects?” Oh ho ho what are these feelings X6?! What are they?!
> 
> Side note: I learned how to do the line thing

**Chapter 8: Nudity is Not SAFE for Work**

“What the hell?” Sole muttered as she and X6-88 rounded the corner of what appeared to be large concrete prison walls, topped with razor wire, and protected by turrets. “What is this place?”

X6 raised a hand to the glaringly obvious blue and green sign that said ‘Welcome to Covenant.’ Oh. Well now she felt silly. They both had their laser rifles out, cautious in this new environment. There was too much security for this to be normal.

Sole wiped her forearm across her forehead, drying the sheen layer of sweat accumulated from this hot day. In addition to no more snow in December, apparently winter forgot how to winter as well. It was _sweltering_ as the synthetic armor pieces weighed heavily down on Sole’s vault suit. X6 took a few strides up to the gate, looking at the sign. How the hell he managed to never sweat was beyond her. Maybe it was some synth thing.

X6 spoke up, “This is the place with that so called synth detector test. That’s almost funny.”

She stared at the bold cerulean doors for a few more seconds before she noticed a shifting in her peripheral vision. A middle-aged man stood up from his chair and approached the two.

“Hello pal, visiting Covenant? If not, move along. Plenty of armed people out there. Not good for the nerves” the man said to them.

“Yeah, sure. I want to visit Covenant” she lied.

The man, who introduced himself as Swanson, smiled a large, welcoming smile. Too welcoming. He informed them that they needed to take an entrance test, or SAFE test, before entering. Sole was able to pry out of him that it was actually a synth detection test, confirming X6’s story. X6 and her exchanged glances before he led them over to a dimly-lit side room with a desk. X6 was right beside her. Then, Sole thought of a devious idea. The inner devil in her applauded her moral choices.

She quickly leaned over to him and whispered, “Hey, go take that test for me.”

“But I am a synth” he retorted in an equivalently hushed voice.

“Imagine if you pass. That will be hilarious.”

“Please no.”

“Do it.”

Sighing in resignation, X6-88 took up the seat across from Swanson and folded his hands in his lap. Oh my goodness, Sole was absolutely _dying_ inside. It took every ounce of willpower not to burst out in a fit of giggles. She really just wanted to see him squirm. This was going to be so epic. Swanson didn’t seem to mind as long as one of them took it.

“So let’s begin. There ain’t no wrong answers” Swanson informed X6, who remained unmovable in his seat, head fixed on him. “You are approached by a frenzied scientist who yells ‘I’m going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber.’ What’s your response?”

What the hell kind of questions were these? When X6 didn’t immediately respond, Sole let out a stifled giggle at the obvious phallic pun. He totally didn’t understand the colloquialism. Swanson’s face stayed serious as he waited for a response so Sole shut up.

“I wouldn’t worry. If he did that it would cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity” X6 responded with ease. It was probably bullshit, but it was good bullshit. He was a good bullshitter, Sole thought. Apparently synths were equipped to answer hypotheticals. That answered that question.

“Okay…Next question, while working as an intern in the clinic, a patient with a strange infection on his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate but the Doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do?” Swanson asked.

Within a heartbeat X6 responded, “restrain the patient and merely observe as the infection spreads.” He was definitely thinking of what the Institute would do in these circumstances. Sole wondered if anyone in the Institute actually ever got infected. The questions continued.

“Very very interesting. You discover a boy lost in a cave, he’s hungry and frightened. But also appears to be in possession of stolen property. What do you do?” Swanson inquired.

“Confiscate the property by force. Leave the boy there as punishment” X6-88 responded flatly.

Sole almost burst out laughing again. Truly spoken from an agent who specialized in ‘retrieval.’ There was no way in hell they were getting into Covenant with the aggressive way he was answering. The questions continued.

“Very curious. Congratulations! You made it on the baseball team. Which position do you prefer?”

X6-88 paused. As Sole gazed at him sitting so awkwardly still she wondered if he was glitching. He probably didn’t know what baseball was nor the positions played. Sole fret for him. Then cautiously he responded, “I don’t play baseball. I play soccer.” Good swerve!

“Are you certain about that? Nevermind, next question. Your grandmother invites you to tea, but you’re surprised when she gives you a pistol and orders you to kill someone. What do you do?”

“I’d do what grandmother told me to do” X6 answered matter-of-factly. Hah! Sole could basically hear him replacing ‘grandmother’ with ‘Father.’ These questions were so absolutely mad!

“Please treat the questions seriously. Or are you? Old Mr. Abernathy has locked himself in his quarters again, and you’ve been ordered to get him out. How do you proceed?”

“I’d get a laser pistol and blast the lock off” he motioned with his thumb and index, making a hand gun. Where did he learn that? He obviously picked that up from the surface. He may hate it up here but he definitely payed attention. So smart.

“And that’s all you’d do? Nothing else? Next. Oh no. You’ve been exposed to radiation and a mutated hand has grown out of your stomach. What’s the best course of treatment?”

Shit this was another tough one. Sole looked nervously at X6 who was immune to radiation and would never have to experience this. She was almost glad she picked him to take the test because he sat to perfectly still when he didn’t know something that normal people wouldn’t have been able to tell.

“I would cut off the mutated tissue with a precision laser” he answered.

“Technological bias. Hmm. A neighbor is in possession of a Grognak the Barbarian comic, issue number one. You want it. What’s the best way to obtain it?”

“I’d point a gun in his face and take it from him.”

Oh X6, you cruel, cold-hearted boy. Her chest warmed with endearment.

“Hmm. You’re almost done. Last question. You decide it would be fun to play a prank on your father. You enter his private restroom when no one is looking and...?”

X6 creased his eyebrows. He opened his mouth. Shit, he was probably going to answer that he would never betray ‘Father.’ Sole nudged him and gave him a look that said ‘answer it seriously.’ Well, she was also curious of what lay in the depths of his devious mind. 

Closing his mouth, X6-88 looked up at Sole. He had the most fed up expression she had ever seen, obviously hating that he was being forced to do this. With a deep breath he turned back to Swanson and answered.

“I’d change the wattage on his razor. It would give him a shock the next time he uses it.”

Swanson put down his papers. The older man scrutinized the answers he had scribbled. Smugly, Sole turned around and started to walk away, smile on her face. X6-88’s answers were so blatantly violent, there was no way they were getting in. Well that was fun. Time to go do something else. She had only gotten a few feet away when she heard Swansons chair scoot back.

“The test is over. No one has answered quite like you before” she heard him say. Yeah, cause he’s a synth. She snickered. “But hey, you passed! I’ll open up the gate.”

What?!

Sole whipped her head around incredulously at Swanson as he stood up. Her gaze shifted between him and X6. When the man passed her, she rushed back beside her partner, who was still sitting. She pivoted around as if this were some obscene joke. But he’s a synth! You idiot! The doors swung open. Swanson smiled at them.

“But he’s a _synth_!” She whispered harshly, only in earshot of X6-88 who smiled, actually smiled, at her disbelief. It was just a slight tweak of the lips, a little sadistic shit smile, but a smile nevertheless.

“You heard the man. I am a human.”

“Don’t get sassy with me mister” she warned.

The two got up and followed Swanson into the suspiciously over-guarded town. X6-88 was acting more friendly lately, it was so weird! Ever since he got back from the Institute, he had been discernably less crabby than usual. He didn’t even check her for wounds when he came back only to threaten Codsworth with physical violence and dismemberment! Something good must have happened while he was over there because she couldn’t think of any other reason for his behavior.

Things got even creepier when they walked in! The first thing they saw was a suspicious looking man interrogating a settler about some caravan before stalking off behind a large tree. After that everyone else in the whole village greeted them in an over sickeningly-sweet voice, as if they were compensating for the man’s attitude. Here, it was like nothing was wrong with the world. It reeked of secrets. Nothing was this perfect. Nothing was this clean. At least on the surface it wasn’t; the Institute was a whole other story. The farmer, the mechanic, the store owner, the doctor: all of them assured them of the utterly safe environment they were in. X6-88 had his rifle at the ready.

“I would advise you to keep an eye out in this place ma’am” he murmured, voicing her thoughts. Sole nodded.

The perfectly preserved hub flowers swayed in the breeze. The only thing that made this day worse was the sticky humidity that clung to their skin. Sole picked at the collar of her vault suit and fanned her face. The town wasn't that large, only about a few yards or so. Then, a girthy man in a tan suit came up to greet them from the house at the end.

“Welcome to Covenant friends!” he called in a jovial manner. “This is the safest city you’ll find in the Commonwealth. My name is Jacob Orden and I’m the residing mayor here. Oh but you must be tired. Go on. We have a room set up just for guests to lay their weary heads. It is all equipped with a public terminal in case you want to read the history of our wonderful town. Please enjoy yourself!” The man led them over to a pale yellow house and pointed inside.

This smelt like a trap.

X6-88 shut the door the moment he stepped inside.

“I don’t like the looks of this” he stated.

She plopped down on the far bed and took stock of her surroundings: a few dressers, coffee pot, sofa, armchairs, fake flower vases, fake hanged paintings, gaudy fake wallpaper. “Neither do I” she sighed, taking off her boots. “But we have been traveling for days. Whatever these people are up to, I don’t think they are going to mug us immediately.” She stripped off her armor and placed them neatly on the mattress.

X6-88 said nothing but stayed by the door, still very stiff.

Phew! It was still hot as Hades in the room. It was making Sole lazy and the bed looked so inviting for a nice afternoon slumber. Shoving off the lethargy, she popped back up and started rummaging through one of the dressers. There were so many clothes in there! Yanking out a thin white t-shirt from the bottom of the pile, Sole began unzipping her vault suit.

“What are you doing?” X6 asked, breaking the silence.

“It is hot as balls today. I am not spending another second in this insulated vault suit! It’s driving me mad!” She curled her head to look at X6 who was shifting on his feet by the door. Just because he was content in a suffocating long black jacket didn’t mean she had to suffer too. “Besides, it’s just body parts. You’re a synth, what do you care?”

Her arms came out. The top-half of her vault suit dropped to her waist. X6 turned his head away from her back.

“This is _not_ appropriate.”

“Yeah yeah you big princess, I’ll be done in a second.”

The sound of her vault suit falling to the floor filled the room. The rummaging of clothing. Feet being picked off the floor one after the other into bottoms. With a loud _phew_ she turned back to X6.

“Alright I’m done now, let’s go check this town out some more before it gets dark” she said. Sole propped her hands up on her hips. The low cut shirt hung dangerously low on her chest and the questionably short shorts she wore exposed the length of her legs. Okay, maybe she was trying to show off a little, picking something she knew would look good on her. She wore this kind of stuff back before the war and boys would love it. If this didn’t get him she didn’t know what would.

But, to her dismay X6-88 made no comment about her attire whatsoever and instead silently opened the door open for her to exit. For her actually trying, his lack of reaction was disheartening. Stupid synth. She stomped right out that door in a huff with him in tow.

First stop, Penny. She had introduced herself as the town storekeeper as they walked in and Sole thought it a perfect opportunity to sell some of the junk they had collected. The place was so cute! Like a pre-war gift shop kind of cute. If only this place wasn’t stinking of secrets she might’ve taken more time to enjoy it.

As they moved from house to house, Sole began to notice that X6 was getting more and more irritable. Perhaps it was because she was fanning herself with the hem of her shirt, exposing her midriff in the process. He kept telling her to put something on and twisting his head left and right as if he was embarrassed. Annoyed with his attitude but too tired to argue, Sole pivoted around and flashed him. In an obvious panic, X6’s hands shot up in front of him, as if covering up the image of her bare flesh, and twisted his body sideways.

“Come on… put some clothes on” he complained.

Heh. His reaction was actually kind of hilarious. He was writhing away like he had seen something too blinding or gross. Kinda pissed her off too. But it was more funny. She was surprised at her own lack of modesty, but sometimes scorching heat had this way of making you not give a damn.

“What’s wrong X6? Never seen a bra before?” Sole teased, wiggling her hips.

X6 marched right up to her and pulled down her shirt, looking all around them to make sure no one was looking. At least he was looking out for her. That was something. Right? She secretly grinned.

“Ma’am we are running out of daylight. Let’s go.”

Sole shrugged. The next stop they were going to make was going to be Jacob Orden’s house, but Sole got side tracked by a shiny Mr. Handy model. She ran up to him while X6 followed, standing a few feet back so that he was facing them both.

“Try Deezer’s famous lemonade! It’s the most thirst-quenching beverage in the entire Commonwealth!” the robot called.

Lemonade! Now that was a term she hadn’t heard in a long while. How were they able to make lemonade without any lemons? Sole waved away the question. She could really go for some lemonade on this oppressively hot day.

“Yeah I’ll take some bot” she said, fishing out the money pouch she had stashed in her pocket.

Sole watched X6 as he tracked the robot whirring away to make its concoction. Wait for it. He loosened up his shoulders and stretched his neck, aviators still pointed towards Deezer. Not yet. Then he slowly returned his head towards Sole. Now! She flashed him.

X6-88’s head recoiled in surprise as Sole’s face was plastered with a giddy mischievous grin. He frowned, “Okay ma’am, good joke. Really, it was very funny. Now can you please get dressed?”

She threw her shirt back down nanoseconds before Deezer turned back around. He seemed to sense the awkward tension as his mechanical eyes switched between the two of them, but said nothing but a thanks to the exchange of caps. The drink tasted like piss. Definitely NOT lemonade.

By this time the sun was setting, painting the sky with vivid purple and crimson. Sole tugged at X6’s arm to return to the guest house and they did. The door clicked and Sole sat back down on her bed, eyebrows twitching in disappointment. What the hell man? Back before the war boys would go ga-ga over a girl when she exposed a little chest or thigh. But X6 he-he was so stoic! While yes it was kind of funny to see him freak out over a prank, he absolutely showed no interest in her at all. She was using all of her cards here! But what was she trying to prove? She wanted to believe that a robot could have romantic feelings but what was she doing with X6? Why was she trying so hard just to get him to notice her? Regardless of her efforts, he gave no indication of a “bonding” between them. A pang of sadness hit her heart. She sighed.

Sole heard the creaking of the mattress behind her as X6 sat down. She didn’t turn around.

“I’m going to get changed. If my skin bothers you then you should get out for a while” she said, more harshly than she intended.

There were a few moments of silence before she heard the creaking of the mattress again followed by the opening and closing of the door. Heat rushed to her face as her vision began to blur. Rejection hurt like a bitch. She wiped her face before any bastard tears got a chance to fall. Stupid X6.

* * *

 

Had she lost her mind?

Taking his rifle with him, X6-88 quickly stalked away from the house. He needed to get away. Something was very off about him. He regretted taking the ingestible prescribed by Dr. Binet. While yes, it had done wonders in slowing his heart rate, it left him with this entirely unfamiliar feeling he had never experienced before. Sometimes he felt strangely around Sole, but now it was as if the medicine magnified that feeling tenfold. When he first saw Sole start to take off her vault suit he felt a stirring within him, nawing at his insides. He felt it again when she flaunted her entirely unprotected and impractical outfit to him with a shirt so thin you could see a hint of her pink undergarment underneath. The exposed curves of her thighs were stuck in his mind. When she did that he became all too conscious about what was around him, what he was doing, and how to act normal. Never before had he considered that his behavior wasn’t natural to him. Now it felt foreign.

Even when she was being obnoxious and flashing her chest to him, he felt this oddly strong desire to cover her up. Then he would glance around to make sure that no one else had seen her. Make sure no prying, distasteful surface-scum eyes had the audacity to see her exposed. He probably would’ve killed them if they had.

Within a few minutes, the sun descended behind the horizon, covering the town in a dark blanket. The streetlights switched on. X6-88 decided he would survey the area and all the back corners to check for danger. He needed to get his mind off it…off Sole. Work was a good distraction. Monitor and survey the area for anything suspicious. He had done it numerous times. Check, observe, scan. Unfortunately the dark, thin alleys were not filled with anything particularly stimulating for the eyes. Not as stimulating as the sight of her body….Stop.

He clicked his tongue, mentally scolding himself for thinking of such an indecent thing. He was a courser; she was to be the director. This was _inappropriate_. After clearing the alleys of the front-most houses, X6-88 made his last round to check the sides of Jacob Orden’s house. The darkness was perfectly suitable to be sneaking around. His jacket and light steps allowed him to blend into the shadows, away from any prying eyes. Nothing but empty paint cans and discarded ashtrays. He still felt like the town was hiding something. As he rounded the far corner of the house which would lead him back to where he and Sole were staying, he saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks.

There was Sole. Clad in nothing but her small clothes, tossing her shorts to the bed.

The wall-sized window to the guest house hadn’t posed as an issue before as it had allowed plenty of natural light to filter in during the day. But now… X6 was well aware she could not see him from the alleyway. He blended in with the pitch black night. But he could see everything. Everything lit up in that tiny little guest room was visible. A voice in his head told him to move, but every muscle fiber in his body commanded him to stay frozen.

Unknowingly, Sole reached down to grab her vault suit to slip it up her body. She slid the blue fabric up her perfectly toned legs and around the round curve of her bottom, resting on her hips. For whatever reason, she took this moment to pause and stretch her arms over her head.

He needed to go. This was wrong. He shouldn’t have been captivated by the arc of her lower back or the swell of her breasts. Or how they contoured so perfectly against the dip of her collarbone and neck up to the chin of her aesthetic face. Why couldn’t he look away?

Shit. His anatomy changed. Tearing his eyes away from Sole, he looked down to the pressing matter of his own body. His courser uniform suddenly felt too tight around his crotch, begging for release. His body was strained and sensitive, and way too hot to the touch. The blistering heat of the afternoon didn’t even bother him, but this made him want to tear his clothes off. What the hell? He wanted to touch her. These… these feelings. They were related to Sole. How could he have not noticed before? X6-88 veered around in his spot and retreated into the dark cover of the alley, pushing up his glasses. No way was he going into that room just yet. Not until he calmed down.

What were these drugs doing to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing like this, I hope this wasn’t too creepy D:


	9. Snivel and Drivel and Deacon, Oh My!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to do something with Covenant but I decided against it because it wouldn’t really progress the plot at all. So I took that part out in favor of Deacon, everyone’s favorite liar-pants. Oh the drama. Probably won’t be much more inter-person drama after this but hey.
> 
> Please review!

**Chapter 9: Snivel and Drivel and Deacon, Oh My!**

The road back to Sanctuary Hills went fairly quickly. Sole and X6-88 didn’t talk very much the whole way back. Breath, aim, shoot, reload, repeat. It was much easier to focus on killing once you removed verbiage from the mix. Sole definitely was the initiator of conversation because once she stopped talking, silence enveloped the both of them.

Contrary to the previous few days of blistering heat, the mercurial weather plunged the Commonwealth into a cold front. It definitely felt like December now, with the icy winds and crisp air. Within just a day’s walking time, the pair had made it back.

Sole could feel X6 monitoring her every move from behind, watching, and wondering. She ignored him. Yeah her behavior might have been different but she really didn’t feel like talking today. The illuminated common rooms built at Sanctuary were glowing as the dusty sky began to dim. A settler rang the bell as X6 and Sole crossed the bridge, alerting the town their general was back.

Cait rushed over.

“Ey you blokes, you got ‘ere just in time. Today is Piper’s birthday, Deacon brought mounds of alcohol. I dunno where he keeps the stuff! Come on” she waved at the two of them to follow.

Sole quickly glanced back at X6 to see if he was looking at her. He was. His disinterested face with his pretty-boy lips were staring straight at her. He was making it really hard to stay frustrated with him if he was going to keep giving her puppy dog looks.

“Come on” she said with a nod of her head as she began walking towards the common room. X6, as always, followed.

Everyone was there! Piper’s cheeks were twinged pink from the wine as she chugged glass after glass trying to compete with Cait in some drinking competition. Settlers all around cheered them on, creating a merry clamor. Danse, Deacon, MacCready, and Nick all sat around them with languid smiles on their faces. When Sole walked in, cheers of recognition caused a chain reaction of faces to turn around towards them. Bottles of every shape and size were piled around Piper as she waved to Sole lazily. Deacon scooted over and patted the now open spot next to him.

“Hey hey look whose back, the wandering woman and her handy-dandy sidekick, X6! Come enjoy the fun boss!” He called. Sole could see a little wash of red under his sunglasses. Deacon hadn’t struck her the type to get drunk.

“Happy birthday Piper!” Sole called over the happy crowd with a huge grin as she took up the spot beside Deacon. X6-88 retreated into the far corner of the room and sat in an armchair, all in view of Sole. Into the shadows as usual.

“Hey there birthday girl, don’t be hoggin’ all the good stuff now. Boss has got to get in on this!” Deacon grabbed a stray glass and scotch bottle from beside Piper and filled the cup to the absolute brim before muttering a _whoops_ and shoving the glass over to Sole. The scotch sloshed all over the table. Yep, definitely drunk.

Sole smirked at him, “What are you playing?”

Deacon threw an arm over her shoulders and leaned in. Woah okay, no personal space. His breath smelled of alcohol. He was very very happy.

“Oh you should know this one Sole, it’s toootally from your time. Never have I ever. There seems to be a bias towards the younger crowd,” he said motioning towards Piper. “Between you and me, I think they’re just targeting me.”

“Alright happy pants, I’m in” she joked, grabbing the glass and taking a complementary swig to indicate her entrance into the game. Cait whooped. “So what’s been happening while I was gone?”

Deacon glanced to the other side of the room towards X6 before leaning his face towards Sole’s ear. Cait was saying something.

“Desdemona’s wondering if you could get another dead drop. That crazy old coot Randolph still won’t meet you in person but we’re gonna need to secure a location soon. Feeling like leaving your boyfriend for a few days?” Deacon teased. Sole rolled her eyes.

“’Ey Deacon! Stop flirting with the ladies and take a swig. We all know ‘ya wear a wig. Drink up!” Cait nudged him from the other side.

“You conniving little cat, Cait! I knew you had it out for me” Deacon chides. He kept his arm around Sole as he rose his glass with the other hand and downed the whole thing.

Sole chuckled, “He’s not my boyfriend, and yes I have time for a dead drop.”

“Uh-oh, trouble in paradise? Say it ain’t so!”

“Shush you.”

Another round. 1 shot, 2 shots, 3 shots, 4. Piper’s eyes rolled around in her head, desperately trying to hold her own against Cait. Cait seemed to become more invigorated the more she drank as she got up and sang to any nearby settlers, dancing with them in the process. Danse’s head was on the table, buried in his arm; he was out.

5 shots, 6 shots, 7 shots. The alcohol all hit at once as the room spun like a merry-go-round. Cait was declared the drinking champion. Sole’s smile was a mile wide as she laughed at Deacon’s lame jokes and Piper’s failed attempts to try to string a coherent sentence together.

Another round of people took up some of the vacant seats around them for a new round of drinking games. Sole lazily watched the festivities, Cait the most amusing of all, as she dramatically danced from person-to-person like a drunken butterfly. Deacon’s head lolled around on his nelk before finally crashing into Sole’s shoulder. She momentarily panicked, eyes shooting up to X6, already starting to push Deacon off, but X6 wasn’t even looking at her. He was watching the Cait whirlwind that was slowly encroaching upon where he was. Ugh.

The disappointed feeling washed over her jolly mood and she chastised herself for thinking that he would be watching.

“Y’know yerrr pretty awesome Sole” Deacon slurred against her shoulder. “Yer like, the Harriet Tubman of synths.”

“Yeah yeah, thanks. Good to know you’re the loving kind of drunk” Sole giggled, finding it strangely difficult to form her own sentences under the spell of liquor.

Cait broke away from her last partner, adding another one to her string of broken hearts. She stopped directly in front of X6-88 with her arms akimbo. A sinking feeling settled in Sole’s stomach as she locked her eyes on the scene ahead of her. Deacon was slurring something, but she tuned him out.

“Well, well if it isn’t Mr. Handsome Courser!” Sole heard Cait yell over everyone. The room was so loud! She strained her ears to hear what else she was saying but was only able to discern unintelligible syllables. Curiosity ate at her. Then the sinking little pebble she had felt turned into an anchor as she watched Cait climb on top of X6’s lap, tossing her hair sensuously to the side as she began gyrating her hips against his.

Sole tore her eyes away, not wanting to see any more.

“Deacon, let’s get out of here. I need a walk to cool off” She quickly demanded, cringing as she could hear the sting of jealousy in her own voice.

Deacon stopped mumbling and lifted his head up to look at her and nodded. He spun out of his seat with grace, as if his drunken stupor was all a fickle lie, as he lifted her from her seat by her hand. They exited the lively common room.

The frigid air blasted them sober as soon as they opened the door. Sole rubbed her hands over her arms to get warm as the two started their walk. Deacon pulled her over to the lit sidewalk and out of the pitch black sea of the night landscape. They walked in silence for a bit, before Deacon spoke up.

“It isn’t her fault you know” he started.

Sole scrunched her eyebrows up in annoyance. “I know that!” she snapped. Then she rubbed a hand over her forehead. She needed to cool it. “I know… Cait is Cait, it’s just…” she sighed in frustration and kicked an imaginary rock.

“Boss you’re sounding pretty tense. I get it y’know? I once tried to get with this courser girl, but it was soo hard. You see, all the other little courser boys also had a crush on her, and so did the scientists. So it made it really really hard on us.”

“Bullshit. There are no courser girls.” She couldn’t help but smiling at his stupid story.

“That you know of!” He added.

Sole sniffed. She wasn’t quite sure if it was because of the chilly air or the imprint of Cait ontop of X6 in her brain. Deacon seemed to sense something was up as he rubbed a friendly hand up and down her back in comfort.

She sighed, “I don’t know why this bothers me so much. One day I wake up to find my baby is stolen by some mercenary, and the next day I find out he’s been taken to the infamous Institute. Oh did I forget to mention 60 years had passed and he is now the leader? Hah! Now I’m to replace him? I don’t even know anything about the Institute. I don’t know why they do the things they do: steal people, treat synths like slaves, and hoard all the technology to themselves. It doesn’t make sense. Now I’m pretending like everything is okay as I take shots like a damn college student and get jealous over my robot bodyguard. Ugh what’s wrong with me?”

“I don’t know. I frequently feel like leaders always could use a little loosening up. I mean have you seen Maxson? Geez!” Deacon joked to quell the increasingly depressing vibe between them.

Sole chuckled.

“I don’t know. I want to believe that synths are basically human just like you believe, but sometimes I just don’t know. What if they are built differently? What if they aren’t capable of empathy or…compassion?” She chose her words carefully.

Deacon looked off into the distance reminiscent, “Well I certainly hope that’s not true. In any case, if you’re thinking about who I think you’re thinking about, then you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Sole looked at him confused as they strolled down the path. “What do you mean? Deacon I’ve tried everything. Physiologically, they seem very close to human. But, they have improvements, like being immune to radiation, and don’t need to eat to survive. X6 anyway…he is truly the product of the Institute. He believes in its values down to his core. I’m just the pawn that needs to be moved.”

Deacon grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him. He leveled his face with hers.

“Wait, are you telling me you haven’t noticed?”

Sole blinked.

“Noticed what?”

Deacon slapped a hand to his forehead and leaned back. “Oh man! Sole for such a capable woman you sure are dense!” Sole’s eyebrows knitted at the insult. Deacon continued, “you think that Mr. X doesn’t treat you differently? Are you kidding?”

Sole broke away and turned around, walking back on the path they had just come. “What are you talking about? He treats me normally. Our relationship is very much a professional courser-human, bodyguard-client relationship” she asserted. “Though not for lack of trying!”

Deacon trotted up next by her side, “Listen! I’m only going to say this once because I value my life. If he caught me saying this, my life expectancy would be marginally thin, okay?” Deacon took a deep breath. “It’s very obvious he treats you differently than everybody else Sole. Trust me, I’ve been around my fair share of coursers and synths. I know when they’re feeling affectionate. You are the only one he is nice with. Other than recognizing our fighting ability, he is pretty much a dick to everyone else. He is ridiculously over protective of you; I swear if you come back hurt with anyone else one of these days, he is going to send them to an early grave. That's even if he does talk to us, which is rare. He pretty much ignores everyone except you. I noticed he talks a LOT around you. Plus, His eyes are always tracking you when you walk in the room, when you get back from an adventure, when I put my arm over you earlier in the common room…” He recounted, enumerating the reasons on his fingers.

Sole hunched up her shoulders. He was totally pretending to be drunk, he knew exactly what he was doing! Oh you sly dog Deacon, you.

“Yeah yeah” she dismissively said, starting to feel her face start to flush with embarrassment.

“I’m not done” he persisted. “He stands really close to you. Like _super_ close. Like kinda almost stalker-y, smell-your-hair-as-I-press-against-your-backside, kind of close.”

“Stoop, he does not do that” she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. Her mind went back to think of all the times she had dismissed his closeness as intimidation to others.

“Seriously! People don’t stand that close to strangers or ‘clients’” he air quoted “I don’t care what you say. Oh!” Deacon clapped his hands together as if remembering something juicy. “I got some inside intel from some of the synths we helped rescue a while back. I heard through the grapevine that he actually even _brags_ about you to his courser buddies back at the Institute. Y’know synths are actually more perceptive than they think. Those Institute goons don’t think that the one synth sweeping by the corner is going to bother listening to their conversations. Ha! Fools man. We learn a lot about the inside that way.”

Sole’s cheeks were brushed with rose at all the flattery he was throwing at her. “Ugh Deacon stop. Don’t get my hopes up.” The common house took shape in the darkness as they neared it. The memory of Cait grinding against X6 flashed into her mind again, making her sad. Stop thinking about it! Ugh.

“Mmhmm, are we getting a little shy now?” He joked, peeking his face around to stare at her.

She turned her head away from him, trying not to smile. As the shadows began to become figures from the glow of the house. Deacon spotted X6-88 leaning against the wooden wall of the front. He had heard Sole’s giggle and focused his aviators on their approaching figures. He didn’t look happy.

What Deacon hadn’t told Sole yet was how, back at the party, X6 reacted to every move he made on her. His head would twitch in their direction every time he leaned in, or whispered in her ear. Sole was too pissed to see it before, but when Deacon threw his arm over Sole’s shoulders as they left, he cast a glance over his shoulder to see if X6 reacted. He did. Deacon had to suppress laughter as he caught X6 literally shoving Cait off of his lap to chase them outside.

When they got a few feet closer Sole noticed him too and her eyes went wide as she froze when they locked eyes. Deacon smoothed his hands over his pants nervously. His identity as an agent of the Railroad was purposefully kept a secret from X6-88. He and Sole thought it best for him to keep a low profile so as not to risk exposure. Well that was about to go out the window. X6 kicked off the wall and strode over to them.

“Play along with me” Deacon whispered to Sole. She was about to ask him what when he spun her around so that her back was facing X6, leaned in and pressed his forehead up against hers. X6’s footsteps stopped. Sole’s eyes were wide with confusion as she tried to find the outline of Deacon's eyes through his dark shades. What was he doing?

Suddenly his shoulder was yanked back as X6 pushed him away from Sole, aggressively.

“I don’t know who you are, but if any harm comes to this woman, I will find out, and then I will find you” X6 threatened calmly. Sole’s worried eyes darted between the two men as she stepped up to push them apart.

Deacon threw his hands up, comically, “Me? Oh I’m nobody. But hey, don’t you worry about a thing!”

Deacon knew his aloofness would only piss him off, but it was too epic not to. He was just so serious, it almost made it too easy. He backed away along the path, letting the darkness swallow him from sight.

Deacon was so mysterious to Sole. She never knew what he was thinking or what he was planning to do. Spontaneity was part of his wily charm but it still baffled her. She had only a moment to think about it before X6 tugged at her arm, snapping her out of her reverie.

“Come” he commanded, still as cool as ever.

He started walking back towards her old house. She reluctantly followed. His pace was brisk and he didn’t bother slowing down for her. Was he…mad?

“Hey-” Sole started.

X6-88 cut in, “Ma’am before you finish, let me speak. I told you before that you were weak against men. I told you to rely on me before you put yourself in dangerous situations with strangers.”

“What? Deacon isn’t a stranger. He’s my friend!” she protested, not knowing why he was upset.

“That man took advantage of you when you let your guard down. _Never_ drop your guard. Unless it’s around me” he continued to scold her. They reached the entrance to her house. Still a little confused, Sole tried to walk through the door but was blocked when X6 put his arm across the door-jam. Now she had to pretend like the closeness of their bodies didn't bother her. Why did Deacon have to go and say those things?

Sole folded her arms at him. Well now what did he want? “He didn’t take advantage of me, I asked him to go for a walk because I needed to cool my head” she embellished, carefully choosing her words so that she didn’t sound jealous.

“If you need to cool your head, I would rather you do so with me. Trusting surface-dwellers will get you into trouble.”

She rolled her eyes, “Ugh stop calling my friends that! They’re perfectly fine and trustworthy people. Besides, you looked like you were having fun and I didn’t want to interrupt you!” She said rather rudely. Shit, she was starting to hear the edge in her voice. Ugh why did he need to do this now? HE was getting at HER for letting her guard down around the opposite sex? That was rich. The cold made her temper significantly shorter as her teeth clattered in her mouth.

X6-88 paused and dropped his hand from the door. Sighing, he moved his fingers together then separated them once again. It was a motion he often did when he was thinking.

“…I would have rather it have been me…” he added slowly.

Just like that, her anger melted away. Damn how could he do that? Making her want to choose him. She was so resolved to be mad at him and with just a few words she was all ready to forgive him. He was so honest. Deep down she knew he wouldn’t like some random girl dancing on him, but the irrational part of her brain magnified the issue into something worse.

She let out a slow breath, “Sorry X6, next time I will ask you first okay? I’m going to go to bed now, thanks for walking me home.”

Before she could take a step X6 grabbed her chin in her hands and turned her face towards him. Her eyes popped out of her head as she stared up at his tall stature. Was he…?

“Make sure you wash your mouth out with soap and water. Get rid of the filth that defiled you.”

Sole blinked. What?

Then everything started clicking in place. From where he was standing, she and Deacon must have looked like…Oh that conniving devil!

“Ha ha! He didn’t kiss me if that's what you're thinking. He just pressed our foreheads together is all” she snorted in laughter. X6 dropped his hand and frowned. Oh what a silly boy he was.

“Oh…” he trailed off, putting a hand behind his head. Was that…embarrassment? No, coursers didn’t get embarrassed. Could they?

Sole thought back to what Deacon said about how X6 always followed her around. Even if she didn’t fully believe him (he was known for lying after all), this most comical encounter with X6 rose her spirits up. She could act as childish as she wanted and he would still be there. He had done so a hundred times. A wave of comfort washed over her.

Maybe the alcohol was still in her system, making her bold for she took a daring step right up to X6 so that they were toe-to-toe. Then she stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss right on his cheek as she leaned into him. She felt his arms wrap around her lower back, holding her against him. It was so warm. They stayed there for a bit in that tender moment.

“Goodnight X6” she whispered against his neck as she pushed out of his embrace and into the house.

She didn’t know how much more she could take. While she managed to keep her cool, her head reeled and her cheeks were once again burning with a hearty fervor. In all of the times she had made a move on X6-88, this was the first time he _ever_ hugged back.


	10. Merry Christmas X6-88

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting. I’ve been fucked up the ass sideways from schoolwork and it’s only getting worse. PLUS I was trying to figure out a good transition to the next chapter. I purposefully rearranged the events a little for my story (I know you get the directors quarters the first time you go there). Thanks for all your support I love you all <3

**Chapter 10: Merry Christmas X6-88**

The bright blue _zap_ of the teleportation faded away as the view of the white Institute lobby came into focus. The past few days had been…eventful, so to speak. Sole’s lovely son, Father, decided to announce her succession to the proverbial throne despite her knowing nothing about what it takes to lead a hidden underground organization. Plus he was dying. Boom. Another bombshell. Well, some people didn’t take too kindly to that, obviously, and locked themselves up in the Bioscience department in protest. When she went to go get them, those little shits even sent gen-2 synths to attack her if she got too close. Her! They were but toys to her but it did piss her off a little.

Sole was a little surprised that X6-88 had no qualms about the new information. He didn’t even make any snarky comment when it happened and went along with it naturally. Maybe he already knew, maybe he didn’t care. He must really have trusted Father’s judgement.

Anyway, Sole was getting ready to kick some ass as she pounded on the door to Bioscience with her fist. She had managed to coerce them out of there instead. Although she really wanted to blast the door down with her gun, she figured that if she was to become director, she would need to learn more diplomatic solutions to conflicts. Even though she managed to convince the begrudging scientists to give her another chance, she felt like she had to beg them. She hated groveling.

When the time came to deal out their punishment, she had the deviants put on probation. The Institute already was short-staffed and it certainly would have hurt more than help if the scientists were to be exiled to the surface. Besides, she didn’t want to be a leader that banished people for dissent. That would be a dictatorship. Now she was starting to understand Hancock’s feelings a little bit.

Instead of going straight to Father, she took X6 on a vermin killing spree on the surface to cool her head. Director of the Institute? Dying of cancer? He didn’t even consult her! Was this all a test? Why was he doing this? After a while her anger towards the mutineers ebbed as she realized that it wasn’t their fault they were distrustful of a stranger. She would have been too.

Well here she was, ready to face Father again, and just in time for the Holidays. Like a fucked up family get-together. According to Sole’s pip-boy the date was December 24th. Christmas almost flew right by her without noticing! If it wasn’t for Deacon running around Sanctuary with a wreath on his neck (how did he get that?), then she never would have known. When did Thanksgiving pass? Did they even celebrate anything anymore?

Sole and X6 strode up to Father’s office overlooking the Institute. He swiveled around in his chair to greet his mother and favorite courser.

“Ah mother, I’m glad to see you are well. I was hoping you would have come straight to me after the little…incident. But no matter, I’m very pleased with your decision. You will surely make a good successor” Father acknowledged.

Sole squinted her eyes and put her hands on her hips, “Shaun, why are you testing me? You could have told me in private and let me build up trust with the other board members. I…I didn’t even know you were dying. Why the need to put me on the spot?”

“I needed to know you would react under pressure. A leader is defined by how their actions in the heat of the moment. I knew you could do it.”

Sole ran a hand through her hair. She couldn’t decide whether Father was acting like a kid testing his parent’s affection or a parent trying to teach their kid a lesson. Father stood up and approached her with open arms, eyes crinkling with admiration.

“Mother. Do you know what day it is? I can’t help but imagine how if everything went differently, we would be sitting around a tree opening presents from one another. Well, regardless of what transpired, I still have a gift that I would like to give you. A house. Rather, a room. Right here in the Institute. Now you can stay here and be closer with us.”

“A room?” she asked. Somehow this didn’t sit well with her but she couldn’t quite place it.

“Yes. I already filled X6-88 in on it and asked him to keep it a secret from you” he explained motioning over to the courser who stood patiently by the doorway. “He will guide you there now. You may not see it, but I am happy to have you here.”

Father wrapped his arms around Sole in a hug. It was an emotionless hug. No matter how hard she tried, none of their interactions seemed like mother and son. If anything, the roles felt reversed, like a weird movie playing out. Still, she gave him a half smile and said thanks as she walked off with her companion.

The room was so clean! Like the rest of the Institute it was as pristine and immaculate. The fluffy bed called to her as she plopped down with a grateful sigh. Okay maybe this was a pretty sweet present. X6 stood at the entrance to the room, bracing the doorway. The Institute was the only place where he stood out. In the Commonwealth, he blended it perfectly with the shadows. But, in the glaring bright white everything of the Institute, he stood out like ink on paper.

Ever since that night back at Sanctuary Hills she couldn’t get him out of her head. Before it was just curiosity, but now it was borderline obsessive thoughts. Deacon definitely set the stage. And that hug. She kept playing it over and over in her head. Coursers could feel emotion just like every other synth but were conditioned to hide it. Even if she was glowing, everything went back to the way it always had been the very next day. Just like every other time. Nothing was progressing. Nothing except her fast-forwarded position in the Institute’s future. Sole sat up and faced X6, scooting to the edge of her bed.

“Hey X6 what are we doing here? I feel like everything is going down a path that everyone can see the end of except me. Father has this huge plan for me and won’t tell me a bit of it.”

She patted the bed next to her and was surprised when he actually took up the seat beside her. Wow. In any other situation, two people alone in a room would be considered dangerous. But X6 probably didn’t think that way. He probably wasn’t thinking about how his body was so much bigger than hers, or what it would feel like if she just leaned in a little bit to brush up against his pretty-boy lips.

“When Father told us about you, and who you were, it was clear he had certain biases. How could he not? He’s your son, and proud of it. When he shared his plan for you to take his place, well, a lot of us thought that was more than just pride, it was narcissism. How would you, an outsider who knew nothing about us, run the Institute?”

“My thoughts exactly…” she trailed off, starting to feel inadequate.

“We all had our doubts, me maybe more than most” he admitted.

Okay maybe he didn’t have as much undying faith in her like she thought. Sole lowered her head.

X6 seemed to pick up on her down behavior and turned his body so that he was facing her on the bed. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Her head shot up immediately. The touch felt electrifying, especially since it was him that initiated it.

X6 continued, “But now, after watching the way you operate… well, I have to admit, I was wrong. It’s clear to me now that Father knew what he was doing, and I should have trusted him.”

Sole tried not to let the closeness of their bodies or the good mood of the situation go to her head. It wasn’t working out so well. Her eyes flashed down his body in a fraction of a second, definitely not thinking about him out of his coat.

“Don’t put me on a pedestal just yet, X6” she shyly mumbled, hunching her shoulders to hide her face.

“Of course not, ma’am. It’s just…well, if you really knew your son…if you knew his accomplishments, his sacrifices…” he trailed off. “I know that you haven’t had much time with him, but I can tell you honestly, ma’am, Father is a great man. I believe in his plan for the future. I’ll do anything in my power to make sure that future becomes a reality. My point is, you should be glad to call him your son.”

His undying loyalty towards Father was astounding. It was what made him noble. Even if that could be seen as a threat to others, to Sole, it was an oath of honor. Why was every little thing he did so cool? Damn she had it bad.

“Hey X6 can I ask you a question. The Institute hides down here and you always are saying how terrible the surface is. Why do you hate the Commonwealth and its people so much?” She questioned.

X6 moved his hands away from her to explain, his face grimacing, “if the Institute represents the best of humanity, of what it can accomplish, then the Commonwealth represents the worst. It’s like a rotting corpse and the people who make their home there are like carrion worms, feeding on the filth. Soon, there will be nothing left but the Institute, and mankind will be better for it.”

She grimaced at the disgusting visual he painted and groaned, “oh my god, you are such a princess. Why did I ask?”

“Anyway, I’ve said what I wanted to say. Thanks for listening” he finished and got up to leave. She instantly missed his presence but she wasn’t going to let him escape that easily.

“Whoa whoa wait up X6. I have something for you” Sole quickly said, grabbing his arm. It was true. When she realized that Christmas was just around the corner, she scavenged the scrapped Commonwealth for a present that would be suitable for him. Hard to get a present for someone who didn’t value material objects. Sole pulled him back into the room and rummaged through her pack.

“Christmas. An archaic pre-war tradition that’s origins were fought over by the people of your time. A time where lying to children was socially acceptable.”

“I like my archaic pre-war traditions.” Smiling, she pulled out a Fancy Lads Snack Cakes and presented it to him. “I saw you stuffing these into your pockets the last grocery store we raided. You were trying to be all cool and hide it. It was so cute. I never knew you liked sweet things. It must be why you like me so much!” She cajoled with a cheesy grin.

He let out a humorless snort and grabbed the box. He paused.

“I didn’t get you anything, ma’am” he said completely impassive.

Sole tipped forward on her toes deviously.

“I think a kiss on the cheek should do it” she teased, turning her head to the side expectantly. She didn’t really think anything would happen but it was worth a shot.

X6 smirked.

Then, she felt a large hand grab the back of her head and pull her into X6’s solid chest. He rested his chin on her head. Sole held her breath, heart hammering. Even if she was the one that asked for it, she was still caught off guard.

Then after a few moments, he released her and turned around.

“You’re right, I do like sweet things” he added.

Then he walked off down the alabaster corridor, leaving Sole to her frozen state, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

 

Father sat in his quarters, typing away at a report on his terminal. He hadn’t moved in a while and his back was starting to ache. Old age certainly was taxing. His thoughts were interrupted by the opening of sliding doors. A gen-2 synth entered and marched right up to him. That could only mean one thing. Father sighed.

“Something to report sir” the robot droned mechanically.

“Go ahead” Father said.

“The courser you asked me to monitor, designation X6-88, took the future director to her room as instructed.”

“Anything unusual?”

“Yes sir” the robot nodded, motors whirring in his head, replaying the last video file it had just taken moments before. “Right as he was leaving, he voluntarily went back into her room. “I did not get a closer look but he did stand in the doorway for an undue amount of time.”

Father’s brow darkened as he folded his arms. He was worried something like this might happen. He just hoped it wouldn’t have to come down to it.

“Something will need to be done. I am losing faith in our prime courser.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muahaha I told you I had a plot in mind!


	11. A Storm is Brewing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far I've been going at hits/100 = chapter number and so far that's been working out really well with the timing of my posts! I have about 1100 now for 11 chapters so thanks everyone!!! I absolutely adore all of the commentaries I have been getting from you all! I was so insecure about this story since it’s my first fanfic but your support has meant so much to me. As much as I try to build up realistic tension both sexually and plot-wise, I have absolutely no idea what it looks like to other people so I VALUE all the input! Thanks (:

**Chapter 11: A Storm is Brewing**

“Ah Dr. Ayo, I’m glad to see you” Father said, hands folded behind his back as the bald head of the SRB entered his quarters.

Ayo folded the black sleeves of his lab coat together in consternation. “What is this about Father?” he asked, tapping his foot. “I just received disturbing news that there might be an issue with one of our top coursers. You can imagine how unsettling this is for me.”

Father turned around slowly so that he was facing away from Dr. Ayo, looking down to the rest of the Institute through the large Plexiglas in pensive thought. “Yes. As much as it pains me to say this, we have noticed some irregularities in designation X6-88’s behavior. Seeing as he is the one I authorized to watch my own mother, I am sure you can imagine my concern.”

“Well I don’t know what you want me to do about it. Reprogramming is Binet’s responsibility” Ayo said irritably.

Father sighed, “I hope it won’t have to come to that.” He pivoted around and approached Dr. Ayo with a gravely serious look in his wise brow. “We cannot do anything based on speculation alone. I want you to send a courser to covertly investigate this allegation. Anything unnatural I want reported to me immediately, is that clear?”

“This is ridiculous! X6-88 has come back with nothing but positive reports. He’s our most prolific courser for gods sakes! My training is absolute. I cannot believe that you are questioning the integrity of my department” Ayo vehemently protested.

Father’s eyes turned as cold as ice as he dropped his voice and leaned into Ayo. “I am willing to overlook your obscenely insubordinate tone but if it happens again the SRB will no longer be _your_ department” he threatened. Ayo’s face fell, turning as white as a sheet. Father continued “I will not have a repeat of Codename Alpha under my command and for that to happen, I must question every lead. It is not easy being in my position but I do what needs to get done for the integrity of the Institute.”

“A-Apologies Father” Ayo stuttered, intimidated by his inflection.

“Coursers need to obey the will of the Institute. They are a representation not only of our ideals, but our strength and superiority over the surface. If one fails in their duty then we all fail. That is why we need to make sure that he is doing what he is trained to do. I sent mother on a mission to the glowing sea to secure some data that we have had some trouble collecting in the past. Send a courser after them. That is all” Father explained.

With a wave of his hand, Dr. Ayo bowed slightly and quickly exited the room. After the doors shut behind him, Father turned his weary eyes back down over the Institute with a heavy sigh. In part, he knew that his mother had something to do with it. She was still allied to the Railroad and now her personal courser was being investigated for dissent. Father would not see his organization fall to ruin, even if it was at the hands of his own mother.

* * *

 

Sometimes, Sole liked being in power armor. It was the only time that she was ever taller than X6-88 and could look down at him for a change. Their destination? The glowing sea. Sole hadn’t been back here since she returned the serum to Virgil. The insane amount of rads made her feel sick to her stomach, not to mention the plethora of beefed up nuclear monsters roaming about.

Trees bent outward from the age old nuclear blast and Sole’s Geiger counter started to sound off the closer they got to their target area. X6 was in a radiation helmet as well. He didn’t need it, as coursers were immune to radiation, but Sole insisted just in case. The air was muggy and heavy, making walking cumbersome.

“Hey X6, have you ever thought about taking a girlfriend? I mean, I’m totally available just saying” Sole teased, her voice metallically muffled through her armor.

“Ma’am can we please focus on the mission?” X6 said flatly.

That was the seventh time she had made a pass at him today. He was starting to regret showing her affection. Typically, she bombarded him with questions throughout their travels but ever since Christmas, she seemed to be turning a majority of those inquires towards their relationship. Perhaps it was partially his fault. The longer he spent with Sole, the more he felt like he was falling into her stride.

Sole continued, “Just think about it, if we get together, you’d get to be Father’s father. Like being called daddy?”

“…Stop.”

Even though the glare of the radiation helmet hid his face, his head visibly recoiled in sheer disgust. Sole burst out laughing, bracing herself on her armored knees for support. Two feral ghouls poked their heads over a hill at the noise they were making at made a dash at them. Still laughing, Sole whipped out her gun. Within seconds they were down. Not too bad. That was until the hoard of about 14 more came barreling over the hill.

“What’s wrong X6? Can’t handle what’s being thrown at you?” Sole shouted over the blasts of lasers and howls from ghouls.

X6 snorted humorlessly, “If you’re worried I won’t be able to keep up, don’t be.”

Bam! Bam! Ten more of them hit the ground. The two did their best but some of the scrawny rapid zombies made their way past their defense. One dove straight for Sole, who murmured a profanity before taking out her sword and spearing the creature before it could touch her. She threw the wriggling ghoul down on the floor, dead. Just then, a large glowing hand gripped the top of the hill. The two turned their attention towards it. Shit. A glowing gloated ghoul stumbled to its feet, like a dazed bull. Those things were hard to kill.

“X6!” Sole called worried.

“Already on it” he replied.

The two focused their weapons on the huge beast and resorted to melee techniques when the rest of the straggling feral ghouls came too close. The glowing demon shook off their lasers and roared menacingly before charging at them. Sole’s gun stopped firing; empty cell magazine. Shit. Shit. Shit.

She rapidly slammed another cell cartridge into the holster and rose up her aim when a sharp object collided with the back of her head. It felt like a bowling ball! Stumbling forward on the murky dirt, Sole whipped around to see a giant radscorpion predator that had snuck up behind her.

“What the hell? Where did you come from?” Sole cursed at the grotesquely large arachnid that was starting to circle her predatorily. She shifted her attention between the radscorpion and X6, who was single handedly trying to kill the bloated ghoul, nimbly avoiding the meaty swings of its arms. He almost looked like he was enjoying it, squaring off against the monster all by himself.

Radscorpions were relentless. They wouldn’t let their prey go until one of them was dead. Time to kill this fucker. Right on cue, the beast charged at her, striking with its tail. Sole really needed to pay attention to its stinger. That single hit to the head had depleted her helmets defenses down to 48%. This was no time to mess around. Bam! Bam! Bam! She fired at its face, blinding it enough to put some space between them. Or at least between her and its stinger.

Running backwards and firing, she had an idea. She led the radscorpion over to where X6 was engaged in his battle. This was going to be tricky. The insect hissed as it charged at her again. Just in time, Sole darted under the bloated glowing ghoul swinging at her partner who had already jumped out of the way. Her plan was a success! The scorpion had chased her directly under the blow, causing the ghoul’s fists to collide with its armored body. Perfect!

The radscorpion writhed and hissed at the blow, obviously losing energy but still in attack mode. Forgetting about its previous prey, the arachnid struck at the monstrosity with its tail. The ghoul bellowed in pain, swinging its glowing arm back at its attacker in retaliation. Good. Distraction complete. Sole jogged to catch up with X6 so they could watch the tumble of the beasts.

She didn’t even get a chance to rest before an earth shattering roar shook the ground violently. X6 and Sole had to stabilize their balance. Shit. Fuck. That could only be one thing. Sole turned her head to meet the rapidly charging alpha deathclaw heading directly towards her.

“Holy fu-”

In that split second before they collided, Sole thought back to a pre-war time when she had visited the ocean as a little girl. It was a strong tide that day but she still adamantly wanted to play in the water. She had only turned her back on the ocean for a second to pick up a seashell. But the second she turned back around, a wave twice her size was already upon her. All she could do in that moment was brace herself as the ocean ripped her from her spot, tumbling her violently around and around until she could remember which way was up again.

She likened that moment to now.

Especially as she flew through the air, having been tackled by the deathclaw. Eventually gravity helped her find purchase as she tumbled many feet in her power armor.

“Sole!” she thought she heard X6 yell. But she couldn’t really tell over the blaring alarms on her suit that meant that her defensive capabilities had been severely weakened. Her helmet defense read 0%.

It was like being hit by a semi-truck, except if that truck had sharp teeth and claws and continued to hit you after you were down. Sole had all but merely placed her hands on the radiated dirt to push herself up when she felt herself being picked up upside down by a large hand. Like a toy, the deathclaw shook her about, causing her body to slam against the inner walls of her suit. She grunted in pain.

Just then, she was slammed back down on the ground, pinned by the death claw that jumped on top of her. Where was her gun? She frantically scanned around but could find no trace of it. The deathclaw picked her up, and then slammed her down. Then picked her back up again, and slammed her down. Sole gasped for air. The pain was horrendous. Every blow felt more severe the more her suit weakened.

It was in that moment that Sole felt like she was going to die. Really die. Was this the way it was going to go down? Rip! The deathclaw tore the metal arm of her power armor clean off and threw it to the side. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Left arm – 0% gone, Right arm – 2%, Head – 0%, Left leg – 1%, Right leg – 0%, Chest – 13%. The alarms screamed in warning. Blood rushed to her ears.

She was going to die.

Her vision started fading out as she struggled to breathe. The deathclaw picked her up once again and tried to rip off her chest plate with its teeth. The metal plating screeched.

12%...11%....10%...9%....8%...7%...6%.

Well this was it. At least she had found Shaun. Soon she would be resting alongside Nate. Shaun would join them soon enough anyway. She closed her eyes.

4%...3%...2%...1%...

“SOLE!” someone screamed.

Who was that? Was that X6? No. It sounded too desperate to be X6. He never screamed. Besides, he never called her by her name. Just ma’am. Maybe it was Nate, beaconing her from her subconscious.

The last thing she heard was the hinges breaking off her chest plate and a very large boom as she fell straight to the ground and blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (EDITED)
> 
> As a user beautifully pointed out, the first draft posted had some misspelled and redundant words (i.e. obsolete instead of absolute). I fixed it so hopefully more people get to read the improved draft. Note to self: stop writing stories past 12am.


	12. A Storm is Brewing (part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments keep my going man. They literally fuel my overindulged ego making me want to crank out as many chapters as I can so that I can have you validate my existence. Yay.  
> Just want to apologize to those of you following this story closely. I suck major ass at proofreading my own shit. I will literally read it like 3 times and NOT catch obvious mistakes. Then after the 9th time I read it (after it’s published) I realized I put ‘shitting’ instead of ‘shifting.’ I DO go back and edit errors I find but I’m sorry those (fucking awesome) people who read the first draft and put up with my bullshit. Lol I love you.

**Chapter 12: A Storm is Brewing (part II)**

Darkness.

Muffled distant shouts.

The faint trace of hands cupping Sole’s face.

The ripping of cloth sounded so far away as she slipped farther and farther away from her physical body.

Farther. Farther. Farther.

A needle plunged into her chest. Her ascent to the dark unknown came plummeting back down to reality as she woke with a start, gasping for that sweet, irradiated air. A stimpack hung from the exposed part of her skin where her heart was. She yanked it out. Sole’s head throbbed with pain that had all of a sudden rushed back to greet her. She groaned and plopped back down onto the murky dirt, the temporary adrenaline rushing out of her body.

“Ma’am…” She heard X6 gingerly say.

She couldn’t even move her head to look at him as her eyelids fluttered with effort.

“X…” Sole whispered, barely audible. She felt a hand move to her forehead.

She was starting to regain a semblance of feeling back in her body. The painful kind. Everywhere felt bruised. She tried to speak again but a thick glowing gust of air brushed past them, making the hairs on her neck raise. Sole shivered in disgust as thin steaks of green lightning danced in the sky.

“Radiation, shit. This is not good” X6 cursed, glancing around at the intensifying storm.

The sound of wild clicking brought Sole’s attention to the pip boy that was still attached to her arm. So she still had an arm, and a pip boy, which was good. X6 left her side, doing who knows what. She heard the sound of metal objects dropping a few feet away and then he cursed again. What on earth?

All of a sudden she felt herself being dragged out of her power armor scraps and lifted with ease. X6 held her as if she was weightless as he glanced around for somewhere to go.

“We need to move!” He shouted as he took off in a full sprint.

She bounced against his chest as he ran, vaguely aware of the direction they were going. Who knows how long they ran for? After what seemed like a long while, she felt X6 dip down, turn a rusty doorknob, and yank open an ancient door, hinges creaking from the strain. Somehow he had managed to find the one Red Rocket Truck Stop not completely destroyed in this decrepit wasteland. She heard him kick a few things around in the room. Then, like a feather, she floated down onto a dingy mattress, guided by his gentle hands. For the time being, they seemed to be somewhat shielded from the sickening radiation pulses.

Sole summoned enough strength to move her head a bit to watch X6 as he rummaged through her bag, which he must have grabbed at some point. He pulled out another stimpack and hovered over her body.

“Don’t die ma’am” he said.

She managed an airy laugh, “…You won’t get rid of me that easily…” her laugh caused her stomach to clench in pain. X6 stabbed her again in the chest. All of a sudden, a sweet invigorating feeling washed through her veins, taking the pain away with it. Oh wow that was some strong stuff. Her eyes shot open. Too much. Wow! Adrenaline coursed through her veins. She sat up with a jolt relishing all of her replenished senses.

Wow was she a sight to behold! Not only was her hair a ratty mess, she was caked in blood from the tip of her head, all the way down to her toes. The blood that wasn’t clotted flowed freely down the arm the deathclaw had almost ripped off. Her vault suit was ripped open in the front, exposing her chest. She put her hands up to her face to find it slick with blood, which she wiped away with the slightly less bloody part of her arm. X6 was squatting patiently next to her, monitoring her reaction.

“Holy hell! Was that a super stimpack? That was way stronger than a regular one!” Sole asked, her voice coming in much louder than she had thought it would. She scanned X6’s face for a reaction but he said nothing. He let out a breath as he slowly slid himself down to the floor next to her.

The room they were in was tiny. It was probably the width and length of two and a half mattresses. Miscellaneous junk lay strewn about on the ground and on shelves. A small porthole window hung high on the opposite wall, giving them a small glimpse of the passing storm. As Sole waited patiently for the answer she was never going to get, X6 slowly reached out his hand to her head and pulled her against his shoulder. He let out another soft sigh as he leaned his head back against the wall.

“You need to rest” he commanded.

“What happened X6? The deathclaw-” Sole began

“Dead. I rushed it while it was tearing you apart. The heart is its weak point.”

Sole looked pensively up at him, cuddling into his shoulder. “I thought I was going to die.”

“Yeah”

“What rotten timing that a rad storm rolled around.”

“I tried to find your hazmat suit in your bag, only to find out that you had replaced it with _typewriters_ ” he stressed reproachfully.

“Was that what that sound was? Did you get rid of my typewriters?” Sole asked and then coughed as the strain of her voice proved to be too much. X6 just shook his head and the two fell back into a silence. She thought back to that terrifying moment, “hey y’know…when that thing was trying to eat me, I thought I heard someone call my name” she inquired. She had chalked it up to a hearing error on her part but now she was not too sure.

“It must be your imagination” he brushed off, voice droning out in the enclosed space.

The pain from her bruises ebbed away bit by bit, the more she waited for the stimpack to work. Her attention was increasingly drawn to the precarious position she and X6 were sitting in: His hand on her head which rested on his shoulder. He hadn’t moved it yet. Dangerous. They sat there for a few long minutes more. The situation was quickly rushing to her head as she tried to feel his heartbeat through is jacket but to no avail. She almost died. Just the thought made her head spin as she tried to comprehend just how lucky she was.

“Sorry I fucked up. I don’t know what happened, usually we kick ass together. I-I hate it that I let myself almost die. It makes me feel weak” Sole chastised herself. “You know, when we first met did you ever think that we’d be here in this position?” When she pressed her ear closer to his ribbed shoulder pad, he turned his face down to her and let out a breath that tickled her hair.

“Ma’am, there’s something I’d like to say” X6 started.

She turned her eyes up at him, “What’s on your mind X6?” Their faces were inches apart.

“Look… I’m not great with words. I’m more comfortable shooting people than talking to them. I’ll just say that right up front. But sometimes, you have to say what’s on your mind because people need to hear it” he said. Sole smiled. That was something he never would have said when they first met. She tenderly started playing with the fingers that were resting on his leg. He didn’t stop her.

“Go on” she goaded gently.

“Okay, okay” he groaned. He looked like he was struggling to put the words together. “I’ll just lay it out there. I look up to you. Now before you give me shit about going soft or getting all emotional, let me finish” he interjected, holding up his finger in warning, knowing exactly how she was going to react, making her smile. “All my life, I’ve always looked up to Father. You already know this. What you didn’t know is, I was a lot less sure about you.”

“I kind of already knew that too” she interrupted. He shushed her with his hand.

“I followed your orders because I had to, but you seemed… I don’t know, unprepared. You looked lost and confused, maybe even scared. I didn’t think you could handle this life and the work I do. I figured you’d just slow me down or get in my way.”

Sole laughed against his chest, looking down at her bloody wounds. This certainly wasn’t the best example of keeping up. “Seems like everywhere I go, people doubt me. Now I just expect it.”

“Well, I shouldn’t have, and neither should anyone else. If I’ve learned anything since we’ve been running together, it’s this: Holy shit, was I wrong about you. You’re as tough and determined as anyone I’ve ever met. Maybe more.”

Sole picked her head up and stared at him. Wow… That kind of praise from him was just... wow.

X6 continued, “Given all the things that have happened to you, and everything you’ve lost, that’s impressive. What I mean is, you have a sort to focus… a will. I think you could accomplish anything that you set your mind to. I’m not only sure that you can handle the task of running the Institute – I think you’ll be the best leader we’ve ever had.”

“I…wow” Sole breathed, completely dumbfounded. She had no idea that he had that much faith in her. All of that time, running around together had left an impact on her. She never knew that he felt the same way. “Well thank you, X6. Wait a minute… you’re not brown-nosing for a promotion, are you?”

X6 smirked, “haha, I’m not that subtle ma’am.”

His black leather chest rose and fell at his chuckle. It was so…comfortable. X6 had just opened up so sincerely to her and was (still) hugging her of his own accord. The thought of kissing him crossed her mind. She glanced at his face. Damn, she still couldn’t read his expression with those glasses!

Just then it occurred to her that she had never seen him without his sunglasses. The whole time they were together, she let him keep them on. It was a part of his identity. Maybe she was a little scared to see. However, her burning curiosity overtook that feeling. She lifted herself out of his grasp.

Slowly, Sole swiveled around and hiked her thigh over X6’s legs, straddling him. He stared at her, his brow line creasing inquisitively.

“Hold on a moment. I want to try something…” she said, locking eyes with aviators. His courser jacket was too thick to feel anything going on underneath if there was anything at all.

She felt his hands ghost up to her hips as she leaned forward. His nostrils flared as she delicately grabbed the hinges of his glasses. Gently she removed them. The loudest thing in the room was the hammering of her heart. The unveiling revealed a pair of steel grey eyes hanging under a low brow that bore straight through her. He had the most intense stare she had ever seen in her life. A cold fire that burned with vitality. Unblinking. Unwavering. It was as if he was looking straight through her. It almost made her uncomfortable. He must have picked up on it because he reached for his glasses that Sole had laid on the floor.

“No. It’s okay” Sole soothed, unable to break away from his bewitching gaze. He had a small scar above his left eye that she never had noticed before. His hands moved a little higher up her hips as she placed a hand on his solid chest. Her other hand moved up to caress his face, smoothing over his scar with her thumb.

His gaze drew her in like a magnet. They were close enough to feel each other’s breaths. She lowered her face to his. His eyes softened as he tilted his head to the side and lifted his chin.

“X” she whispered against his lips.

Just as they were a hairs-breadth away from kissing, X6’s eyes hardened up and shot over her shoulder. He pushed her off to the side and ran up to the porthole, grabbing the thin knife he kept tucked away in his belt. Sole, confounded, looked up with a wild and confused expression. What just happened? What were they just doing?

“W-what is it?” She asked in a shaky breath. He held up a hand as he scanned outside.

“No…nothing” he said in his trademark monotone voice. He continued to look out the window, body in attack mode.

Sole cursed silently to herself. Dammit they were just about to kiss! What shitty timing!

* * *

 

Designation X9-27 held his breath as he stared back at the piercing gaze of X6-88 through the window. If he moved even an inch, X6 would see the inflection of movement and know that someone was hiding under the cover of a stealth boy, watching them.

X6 shook his head and turned around back inside. Breathing out, X9 smoothed his perfectly styled hair down. He hadn’t seen X6 without his glasses since… since Dr. Zimmer. He laughed to himself. X6 was losing his touch. That fool. He was supposed to be one of the elite coursers of the Institute, and he was letting himself get tugged around by that mortal woman!

When Dr. Ayo had propositioned tailing X6-88 to the Glowing Sea, X9-27 immediately volunteered for the job. How could he turn down an opportunity to overturn the success of his closest competition? Now he could show everyone the pompous “prodigy” wasn’t as perfect as they all thought.

He spit out some blood to the side as he retreated away from the truck stop. Stupid fucking deathclaw. The surface was a putrid vile place that needed to be purged for all of its insolence. When trailing the pair earlier, X9-27 had accidentally stumbled upon a deathclaw nest. He shot the repulsive eggs to smithereens which enraging the alpha that had come out of nowhere. Even though he was able to barely escape its deadly swings, it was leading him right to where that disgraceful woman and X6-88 were fighting off a horde of feral ghouls. They would’ve seen him too had he not clicked on his stealth boy at the last second. Thankfully the alpha must have confused X6 with him for it started charging towards the two instead. It would have been nice if that incompetent beast could have killed them both. But alas, one can only hope. X9 could have easily placed a shot towards the base of X6’s skull, the weak point of every courser. He thought of this as he was glancing through his scope. It would have ended. He could have blamed it on the inevitable harshness of the surface, but he refrained.

Now he was glad that he did because of what he had just seen. A synth, a _thing_ , getting intimate with a human woman. Not just any woman either; this was Father’s mother, the most important person. X9-27 knew that X6-88 had always been proud of his ability to kill. His ingratiation to Father was sickening, preying on the weakness Father’s human attachment. How he found the gall to even think about laying his filthy machine hands on a human, he could not fathom. How sweet would the moment be when X6 fell from the top? His arrogance would turn to humiliation. Just the thought of it made X9 giddy inside. His thin lips turned into a toothy grin. Icarus was going down.

He couldn’t wait to tell Father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m actually not quite sure what color eyes he have. I just went with grey because that’s what they look like close up, but I couldn’t verify if they were grey/blue/hazy-brown idk/other.


	13. Recalibration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever been in a fight? Do you know that feeling when you knock your opponent down and start walking away thinking about what you are going to have for dinner that night, only to find out that your opponent snuck up behind you and clocked you in the head from your left blind spot? Well that’s about where I am with school right now. I feel kind of bad; I didn’t know that my last chapter would cause people distress. All part of my insidious plan of course muahaha. Just kidding. Without further ado… the next chapter!

**Chapter 13: Recalibration**

“Where is he?” Sole demanded, storming right up to Father’s face.

Father remained calm as he looked down at his furious mother who was now grabbing him by the collar.

“If you are talking about Designation X6-88, I’m afraid he isn’t here right now, mother. We seem to have been experiencing… difficulties in calculating his predictability. He had been behaving in very irregular patterns for a courser and so we decided that in his current condition, he was unfit for duty. Not so worry, you will be assigned another courser in the meantime” Father replied, voice as calm and smooth as always.

“Predictability? Bullshit! He did everything you ask and now you are pulling him away for… for what? Recalibration? What does that even mean?” Sole yelled exasperated. She threw her hands up in frustration as Father readjusted his collar.

“Mother, with all due respect, you seem to be making a very minor error in your wording. It is a synth, not a man, and when synths experience technical problems they are sent back for recalibration. This is to assure their optimal capacity in helping the Institute”

“So that’s it then?” Sole scoffed. “Even if they are identical to humans in every way, the only difference being they were made from a machine instead of a womb, they can only be treated as property?”

Her face was red. She was pissed. She was sad. But most of all, she was frustrated. She was frustrated that the Institute could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Even if she had a foothold in the hierarchy being Shaun’s mother, she had no real power. Sole thought back to when she and X6 had been traveling back from the Glowing Sea. They had struck up a nice conversation. He actually was smirking at her jokes she told him! Then all of a sudden, his watched beeped. A voice demanded that X6-88 return to the Institute immediately for ‘recalibration.’ She saw X6’s brow knit. They didn’t even have time to say goodbye as a thieving blue electric ray of light zapped him away before her eyes. No explanation. He was just gone and she was alone.

Back at the Institute, Father squinted his eyes at the embittered face of Sole. He snapped his fingers and immediately a Gen-2 synth triggered the sliding doors to Father’s quarters to open. Synthetic Shaun gingerly poked his little head out from the side, eyes wide and timid as if he had done something wrong. Sole’s heart clenched at the sight of him. Even if she tried to convince herself he wasn’t really her child, it all was superficial persuasion to her emotions.

“Come” Father ordered softly. Shaun stepped forward with his head bowed and his hands behind his back. He looked so guilty and scared, Sole wanted to collapse and hug him, letting him know that everything was going to be alright as she stroked his head. But she refrained, trying her best to keep her face solid.

“Yes Father. Did I do something wrong?” He shyly asked, eyes as large as a doe.

“Nothing my child” breathed Father as he walked over and placed his hand on Shaun’s head. “S9-23 Recall Code Cirrus.”

Shaun’s eyes rolled back into his head as his torso went limp on his waist. He doubled over like a doll. Sole felt a flash of anger pass over her face. He was toying with her. Father turned his now cold eyes back to Sole and started circling her slowly.

“This is what they are. He is not your son. Designation S9-23 is a synth designed to soften the blow for you of my existence. He can be melted down and remade, one with the exact same memories as the one before. It is a file that can be transferred. It is not the same as a human” he explained.

Sole’s felt her face heat up. No. Don’t break. “So that’s all he is then? He was just a pawn you could use to manipulate me into doing whatever you wanted? Will you take him away if I disobey you, just like you took away X6?”

Father turned her around to face him, gripping her arms with both hands. “No mother. You are not a pawn. You are the most important person in the Institutes future. By your hands, you will guide the Institute to the top and lead us to a future we could have never imagined. I just need you to _understand_ us, to understand me.”

Keep it in. Father leveled his imploring eyes to meet Sole’s. He had Nate’s eyes. He saw himself a savior of the world, but all Sole saw was another man swayed from his path by power. This was her son.

“Oh I understand plenty” She said through gritted teeth.

Father released her and returned his hands to behind his back as he turned towards his terminal. “There is one more part for you to play, and I think you might enjoy it. It is time to announce our presence to the Commonwealth. To request that they do not interfere with our plans. You should be the one to do it.”

“And if I refuse?” Sole instantly retorted.

Father turned his stony eyes back to her allowing a moment to pass between them. “Then you will never see X6-88 again.”

Time slowed within that moment as his words sunk in. ‘Melted down.’ ‘Transferred.’ He was threatening her. What was going to happen to X6 if she said no? What were they doing to him? Fear formed a dreaded knot in the pit of her stomach as she slowly nodded to Father. He won.

“Fine. I will do your broadcast. Just… give me a minute to compose myself. I realize the importance of this task and I only need to cool my head. I will approach you when I am ready” Sole replied, the believable lies flowing off her tongue like music.

Father crinkled his eyes happily at her response. “Of course mother, take all the time you need. Once you are ready, you… we, will lead the Institute to its future.”

Sole managed a weak smile as she turned on her heel and exited Father’s room, making sure her steps were perfectly timed to look natural. Her eyes settled on Shaun as she passed. Poor thing. He was only made to be used. As the quiet, white doors slid shut behind her she let out the breath she had been holding. She had to find X6.

Synth Retention Bureau, Advanced Systems, Facilities, hell even Bioscience didn’t have a trace of X6. Ayo flat out ignored her and shut the door in her face as he went back to his paperwork behind the soundproof glass. Ass. Her next stop was Robotics. Sole shifted her eyes to the gen-2 synth guards standing around. She was keenly aware they were watching her every move and she wondered if Father too, was watching her hunt down her partner through video cameras. She didn’t care.

The red door to Robotics slid open as she pressed her thumb to the identification pad. The heavy whirring of machinery filled the air as she walked in. There he was… the wiry haired genius in charge of synth maintenance. She stomped right up to him.

“Where is X6?” Sole demanded.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. He isn’t here. Go away” Dr. Binet stuttered, fumbling his pen which fell to the desk.

“I swear I’ve gotten no help from anyone around here. So what do you guys like to do with ‘insubordinate’ synths hm?” She sarcastically chided.

“That is none of your concern. I assure you that we have the best minds working on the recalibration of synth mechanisms.”

“Aha! So he is here” Sole snapped her fingers, folding her arms in triumph. Her eyes flashed to the small door the freshly made synth was entering. Was he in there? The other doctors scurried away from them, giving the two space.

Dr. Binet’s face went white as a sheet as he stammered “Yes- well no- it’s… You’re not authorized to see him. No one can get back there without my passcode.”

Sole sneered at him as he held up a clipboard to his chest for protection. “You won’t even tell me what recalibration means will you? What the hell, did they threaten to cut your balls off if you talk to me or something?”

Dr. Binet’s eyes shifted between her angry ones with a great uncertainty. He glanced at the other scientists who were busy fiddling away with their projects and then back at Sole.

“They ordered us to- It’s something we haven’t done since Dr. Zimmer. I didn’t- None of us wanted to…” He trailed off, voice lowering to a whisper. He dropped his head.

He wasn’t lying. This man had genuine discomfort in his eyes as he shifted weight on his feet. Whatever he had done, he didn’t agree with it. Sole’s face fell, thinking the worst. Oh no… poor X6!

“It’s okay… I understand. Thanks for giving me something at least” she sighed.

Binet grabbed her shoulder and she looked up to meet his pleading eyes. “Director- no… Sole, I’m sorry” he said.

Sole gave him a curt nod and turned around to leave. Her eyes lingered on the large machine pulling out a synth in the middle. Amazing. In the Commonwealth, people struggled just to stick some mods on their run down guns with duct tape while the Institute was pulling out whole synths, biologically almost identical to a human, out of a pool one by one with ease. Imagine what they could do if this technology was shared with the world.

Sole strode out of the doors to Robotics. A wave of loneliness washed over her. The Institute seemed so much bigger by herself. The giant cylindrical walls seemed to stretch on for miles above and the floor look unnaturally pristine. It was disconcerting, and uncomfortable. Without knowing what else to do, Sole went back up to her room, climbing every little perfectly spaced stair in the vertical ascent.

The room was eerily quiet as the lights flickered on with movement. X6 had hugged her here. She sighed. Dammit, it had only been a few days and she was already going through withdrawals. She only wished she knew where he was, or how he was doing. That might set her mind at ease. Sole kicked off her boots and collapsed on the bed, groaning into the pillow. Being Sole depressi-poo wasn’t going to get anything done. She needed a plan. But how in the world was she going to bypass a security encrypted door? She was good at hacking but not THAT good. The Institute was on a whole other level than the rinky dinky security systems of the surface. Maybe she could bribe someone? But with what? Her body weighed down in the soft white fluff of the mattress and her eyes felt weighted. She would have to continue this line of thought tomorrow.

* * *

 

*bleep*

The bright green light of Sole’s pip boy illuminated the dark room in an eerie glow. Sole groaned and grabbed her pip boy on the nightstand. She winced at the brightness. She didn’t remember setting an alarm.

“The hell?”

As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she saw the data on the screen flicker and glitch out to black. Then a blinking green line appeared on the screen.

_Are you awake?_

Sole blinked a few more times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Was she dreaming? She clicked the left button on her pip boy and a touch screen keyboard popped up to reply. What was going on? She decided to roll with it.

‘ _I am now. Who are you?_ ’ she replied.

_Don’t worry about me. Right now u need 2 go find X6-88. I can help u._

Sole sat up in bed instantly, staring hard at the screen. This better not be a dream. Her sleepiness dissipated instantly. She began typing her reply.

‘ _Why would you help me? What should I do?_ ’

The mysterious typer replied instantly.

_I am a friend. Someone who wants to help u. Get ready because u will only have 1 shot at this._

Sole threw the covers off her bed and ran to grab her armor. She didn’t care who this was, if someone was willing to help her find X6 then hell, she was just going to have to trust them. She was ready within 5 minutes and ran back to her hijacked pip boy.

She typed: ‘ _Okay I am ready. What now?_ ’

_I’m going 2 disable the security cameras that could C U going 2 Robotics (except the 1 I’m using). Once there, I’ll open the doors._

_-Patriot_

Just as she read the last word, wondering who Patriot was, the door to her room slid open. She had found her hacker apparently. A hacker who was a lazy typer. The hall was dark as she slipped out. Sole had grabbed a stealth boy just in case. She would probably need to use it once she got down to the main floor. Her heart thudded as she remembered all the spy movies she had watched as a kid. At least the good guy always came out unscathed. She was the good guy, right?

Right as she touched the ground floor with her feet, she heard the mechanical foot-steps of a gen-2 synth patroller. Quietly, she stepped back into the foliage, clicking her stealth boy on. She immediately disappeared. She waited until the guard was out of sight before sneaking in the opposite direction towards Robotics. No synths. Good. Right as she got to the door, it quietly slid open without any hindrance. Well whoever this person was, they were good.

The room to Robotics was dark, and the usually loud monstrous machines lay dormant. There apparently was no motion sensor lighting for this room. Good thing Sole’s pip boy flashed on just at that moment; a hovering square of green. It was another message from Patriot.

_Go 2 Binet’s comp. enter the pass code: ‘Who are the true slaves?_

Sole thought about that phrase for a while. Binet seemed like a tool but perhaps he was more philosophical than previously thought. She had heard he was one of the most intelligent minds of the Institute, but she also knew he was just another pawn for Father. Moving on, she switched on the terminal and entered in the phrase, granting her access to open the synth door. It swished open on command.

*bleep* another message.

_Please don’t blame Dr. Binet. It’s hard to stand up to injustice. He’s a good guy. X6 is in here. Good luck._

Sole stared at that message a bit longer. A synth-sympathizer in the Institute. Interesting. There were people in here that cared about one another just as much as synths. Not everyone was brainwashed by the ideology. How many others were out there that believed in synths? Believed in her?

Her pip boy flickered and then the familiar icons and tabs all came back. She sucked in a breath before entering the small door at the back. It was even darker inside than in the Robotics main room. She fumbled with her pip boy trying to find the flashlight button. When she did, she gasped at what she saw.

It looked like a medical room, but instead of humans, synths lie on the tables. One of them had their legs cut off. One of them had their innards removed and stomach cut open vertically. One of them was nothing but a head in a case with lots of wires connected to it. In addition to the clean carnage, a multitude of violent looking instruments lied about. Did they… torture synths here? Fuck. Where was X6?!

Sole frantically scanned the horrific room. Finally her eyes caught the reflective glint of sunglasses in the far corner of the room. Without hesitation, she rushed over to it. Holy shit…

X6’s aviators lie on a medical file cabinet next to a gruesome chair. On top of that chair X6 was mounted, eyes closed and clad in a white synth uniform. His spine was punctured at 23 different points by these metal spikes. The monitor above his chair had two wires extending from it which connected to electrodes placed at both of his temples.

Sole put her hands over her mouth as she neared him. A small glowing red light read ‘inactive’ on X6’s seat.

“What have they done to you?” She whispered to no one in particular.

Her hands reached out and touched his cold face, running down his cheekbones. He was unresponsive. She wanted so badly to wake him up; to shout and let him know that she was here. But she couldn’t. That was the most frustrating thing of all. She looked around to see if she could find out anything about what was going on with him. Her eyes settled on a clipboard that lay in a rack on the medical cabinet nearby. Snatching it, she saw it was X6’s file.

Dr. Alan Binet had been the primary analyst of X6-88. Her eyes scanned the file, most of it too technical for her to understand. She kept seeing the words ‘optimal’ and ‘good’ next to the different kinds of test results. Her eyes settled on the bottom of the page where Dr. Binet had written something, then scribbled it out. Sole held her pip boy light up to get a closer look. The words: ‘There is no need for recalibration…’ were scribbled out with pencil. Sole put the clipboard back. The only person who could override the chief robotics head was none other than Father. Why was he so hell bent on keeping X6 away from her?

Sole checked her pip-boy once more for the time: 2:41am. Shoot it was time to go. She had already spent too much time in here. At least she knew that X6 was all in one piece and that recalibration didn’t mean ‘disassembly.’ Before leaving, she grabbed his limp hand on one of the arm chairs and kissed his long fingers.

“I promise I’m going to get you out of here X” she swore, staring at his stoic face.

Sole knew, creeping out of there and back to her room what she had to do. It wasn’t going to be pretty. She was going to have to pretend like she was someone different in order to work the system. If Father was only going to release him when she obeyed then she was going to have to play Father’s little game.


	14. Not a Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought I was going to go with an amnesia plotline you were WRONG! Haha that’s actually one of my least favorite cliché plot devices ever. So, no worries! Instead I decided to go with something a little different. Plus as always, thanks for all the feedback and good wishes towards my schooling. Midterms next week!!!

**Chapter 14: Not a Human**

Sole woke up to the familiar soft ding of the Institute’s morning bells, indicating that it was time to get up. She sighed. X6-88 was still gone and she still could not think of a solid plan to get him back. Now she was going to have to face Father all by herself. She swung herself out of bed and cleaned up her catastrophically messy appearance before exiting the room.

As the doors to her room slid open, a courser leaning up against the wall straightened at the sight of her.

“Good morning ma’am, my designation is X9-“

“Good for you” Sole interrupted, walking past him as she strode down the corridor. The courser shuffled to keep up and with a brisk pace beside her.

“X9-27. I have been assigned as your new escort after the unfortunate removal of X6-88” He finished coolly. Sole was doing her best to ignore him, but his last comment made her eyebrows twitch in irritation.

“Well don’t get used to your position. X6 will be back in no time” she asserted curtly as she ascended the staircase to Father’s office. X9 kept up with her closely, she could tell by the strong smell of his hair gel.

As much as she hated to admit, her stomach flipped as the doors whooshed open and Father’s welcoming smile brightened his old face. It suddenly occurred to her that she was going to be publicly declaring herself the director of the Institute. The same Institute that the Commonwealth feared. The same Institute that kidnapped people in the middle of the night and replaced them with synths. The same Institute that sent armies of gen-2s to scout the surface to obliterate everything in their paths. This is who she was allying herself with.

Father extended an arm to her and she slowly walked up to him, returning his side hug with empty affect. X9 remained by the doorway.

“Hello mother, I hope you had a pleasant sleep. This should all be over soon. We have prepared some remarks for you to record. Once you’re finished, we’ll broadcast them to the entire Commonwealth” Father explained leading Sole over to a table where a piece of paper was laid out. “Use the microphone here, and follow this script. It’s quite simple. I’m sure you’ll do fine, mother.”

“Great” sighed Sole, sitting down uncomfortably in the cold metal chair. She read over the script and immediately disliked it. Typically she would have offered to make changes but the oppressive feeling of Father’s presence over her shoulder was crushing her spirit. Father wanted to purge the surface to make way for the future. All she had wanted to do was convince him out of it but she was on a short leash with this one.

Sole’s thoughts briefly flashed back to all her friends she had made throughout her travels. Most of them had multiple reasons to hate the Institute for what they had done. Now she was to be the future director. Their faces stricken with betrayal and horror made an imprint on her mind. But it was too late to turn back now.

With a huge sigh, Sole flicked the microphone on.

“For years now, you have suspected that the Institute still exists, that we are among you. It is true, but it is not the whole truth. We’re here and we are…” Sole started with a strong and even voice. She paused at the line that read ‘in control.’ Not going to happen. “…here to help.” She finished.

Father shifted behind her but said nothing.

She was going to have to change up the wording a bit but probably would have to be careful. “Our superior technology represents the future of the Commonwealth. Today, we activate our nuclear reactor, ensuring that we will persevere long after the world above ground ceases to exist. Ensuring that mankind has a future. We have no desire to interfere in the unimportant details of your… personal freedoms (pointless struggles). We simply insist that you do not interfere with Institute operations. To do so would result in unnecessary difficulties (dire consequences) for all involved. Rest easy. Know that the future is… looking bright (in safe hands) and that mankind will thrive under our guidance.”

Sole flipped off the microphone as the script ended, her calm demeanor with it. Holy shit. What had she done? Her heard pounded in her ears dizzyingly as the anticipation of her actions begun to sink in. She had just declared on record that the Institute was going to wipe out the surface. How the hell was this going to impact her?

Father’s hand to her shoulder snapped her back to reality. He leaned down to get closer to her ear. “Well, that was… interesting. Perhaps not what we’d originally intended, but it will certainly get your point across. Now it’s time to make sure that everyone hears it” he said calmly.

Sole remained staring down at the script and microphone, dreading that she had just started something terrible. Father put his hands behind his back and looked down at her. He continued. “How would you feel about making a little trip to Diamond City?”

Did she even have a choice? Sole cautiously asked, “What do you want with Diamond City?”

“Nothing with the city itself. This is a bit of a shortcut, actually. The radio station in Diamond City is listened to by many in the Commonwealth. If we’d like the people to hear what we have to say, it’s the best way to reach them. Before we… preempt their broadcast, we need to ensure it reaches the maximum range possible. I’ve been assured that the necessary parts are on-site. You’ll just need to install them to boost the broadcasting power.” The doors to his office slid open quietly but Sole refused to move her gaze. Father continued, “Report back when you’re done. We should be ready by then.”

Sole didn’t have a choice. The guilt weighed her stomach down like an anchor to the seat. It was as if she was a child that had just done something terribly wrong.

“Designation X6-88 reporting for duty Father” a soft voice spoke firmly behind her.

Her ears pricked up and all the negative feelings she had dissipated like the morning fog. Believing her ears had deceived her, she swiveled her head around. It was true… There he was! X6 standing there, hands folded behind his back, standing as erect and still as an agent would.

Sole stood up, her legs almost caving in as they trembled with a rush of emotions.

“X6!” She shouted, running up to him and tackling him in a crushing hug.

“Mother, we have made some modifications to this courser unit. I realize how important this was to you and that adjusting to Institute customs might take a while. I am pleased to say that with the installation of new behavior monitors, he should be more efficient than before” Father explained.

Something was… off. X6 didn’t move. Usually when she got all affectionate around him or invaded his personal space he would grimace or shove her away or make some deadpan comment about how inappropriate she was being. But this time he didn’t do anything. He stood as still as a statue, not even acknowledging her presence.

“What…” she began.

Father decided to finish her thought for her. “Just as a reminder mother. X6-88 is a courser, trained as an elite killing machine. He is not a human.”

That sounded like a threat. Sole’s eyes frantically tried to search X6’s face, hoping for just a semblance of recognition or reaction. Nothing.

“Dismissed” Father waved his hand. X6 bowed slightly and finally turned his attention to Sole. “Let us go ma’am.”

It was like the first time they had met at Libertalia. What did they do to him?

Sole had almost forgotten about the other courser in the room until he piped up.

“F-Father. With all due respect, this unit was down for maintenance. It is highly inadvisable to send him back to the surface so prematurely. I would be more than happy to-” X9 began.

“Silence. I will not have my synths talking back to me” Father cut him off as calm as ever. His words were slow but icy and harsh. “My jurisdiction as predecessor of the Institute is that my mother’s happiness is at utmost importance aside from her heath, naturally. You too, are dismissed.”

Sole almost didn’t even register the exchange as her eyes were glued to X6 the whole time. She was so happy to see him that she couldn’t even fathom what was wrong. She pondered on it the whole was as she followed him out. They couldn’t have replaced his memories of her, could they? The thought was terrifying.

“Say X6… Do you um, y’know, remember me? What did they do to you?” Sole probed, tipping forward on her toes as they walked.

“Yes ma’am. My memories remain intact” he brusquely answered, not even meeting her gaze.

“That’s good. So are you okay?” She asked.

Silence.

Okay this was bullshit. Sole grabbed the back of his jacket and pushed him as hard as she could until he hit the nearest wall with a grunt. She spun him around and clutched his shoulders with her hands. No one was around them thankfully.

“What happened? Why are you treating me so coldly? What was this ‘behavior modification’ they did to you? Were you tortured?” Sole interrogated, staring at his face for something, anything.

He didn’t answer. X6 grabbed her hands and twisted them off his jacket, sending a little twinge of pain up both her forearms. He dropped both of her hands to her sides and held them there. Sole struggled a bit. She forgot how strong he was. It almost scared her.

Without another word, X6 released her and continued walking down the corridor, heading for the main elevator. Sole rubbed her arms, the feeling of his iron grip still lingered. What the hell?

* * *

 

The blinding blue light of the teleportation zap slowly faded away into the shape of the Diamond City wall. Sole tried to constantly engage X6 in conversation but only got one-word answers or grunts as responses. Eventually she fell silent as they walked around the perimeter, looking for the big green diamond doors. It kind of stung; the ignoring. He was right next to her and she felt lonely.

When they got to the front of Diamond City, Sole’s heart started to pound. She almost forgot that she was here to basically declare herself an enemy of the Commonwealth, or at least that’s how it would look. What was she about to do? Did she really want to do this?

X6 didn’t even wait for her as he strode inside gracefully and descended the stairs to the market.

“X6 hold up…” She called nervously.

He stopped.

She walked up next to him and tenderly grabbed the crook of his arm. He made no movement.

“Let’s just… walk a bit slower. I just want to enjoy one last walk in Diamond City before I’m probably kicked out forever.”

Together they walked slowly. Thankfully, he matched her pace. She hadn’t realized how much X6 was considerate of her before. He would always match her slow pace even though he could walk much faster. He would gently take her hand or arm whenever she needed it. He also covered her blind spots perfectly in battle as they swept buildings like experts. Now his arm lay limp and his face didn’t turn down to her once. Now he was acting like a completely different person. Like… like a robot.

They reached the entrance to the Diamond City Radio trailer. Sole sighed as she pushed open the door.  Travis (who seemed to have been dozing off) stumbled to his feet in surprise. Sole rushed up to him.

“Wha-” He began.

“Get out” Sole ordered.

“P-Pardon?”

“Get. Out. Now.”

Sole shoved him and his blubbering mouth out of the trailer as X6 slammed the door behind him. His confused stammering eventually ceased and they heard footsteps retreating. Sole sighed and began searching the small compartment for the equipment they were going to need. Sole did not know machinery. Never was quite adept with technology. She could work it yes, but the assembly escaped her. There were radio things with buttons, dials, and tubes. After randomly shoving in the box doohickey in the hole thingamajig, she eventually found the right combination to turn the power on. Time to put in the holotape…

Sole held the holotape to her chest. It was time. This was it. When she put the tape in, her whole was going to change. She looked back at X6 who merely nodded in her direction.

Sole turned around and shoved the holotape into the slot. Deep breath. She flipped the machine on. Instantly she heard the distant hum of music shut off that she had not noticed before in a bzzt. Within seconds, the eyebots circling the city were now blasting her speech to Diamond City. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. What had she done?

A wave of loneliness and fear suddenly washed over her as she grabbed her arms. She missed X6, even if he was right here. She turned towards where he stood and put her head on his chest. He didn’t hug her back. The rejection hurt. Her vision blurred with hot tears that threatened to fall. She thought back to the time at the Glowing Sea where everything between them seemed to be going so well. If only they had a fraction of a second longer, maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation now.

She sighed and lifted her face to his.

“X6, even if you don’t see me in the same way that you used to just know that my feelings haven’t changed. To me, you are still the most important person and I… well I miss you” she said with a heartfelt choke.

Then with another sigh at his reluctance to respond, she stood on her tiptoes, leaned in, and placed a soft kiss on his stoic lips. She felt him twitch. Her heard did a tiny jump. Was he…? Suddenly the rapid beeping of an alarm sounded off from X6-88’s watch, increasing with intensity every second.

“Shit” he muttered just moments before an unwarranted flash of blue light zapped him from where he stood.

What?


	15. Put That Thing Back Where It Came From or So Help Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s spring break~ Hurray I’m done with midterms and have a week to breathe before thrown back into the tempest. Admittedly I was excited to get back to writing especially due to all the phenomenally positive feedback I’ve been getting. I’m an attention whore. I am. But I digress; I think I’ve teased you long enough with the drama and seriousness so finally you’ll get to see what X6 has been thinking the whole time, plus a more light hearted air than the last few chapters. This is like the only story I update, I’ve kinda weaned off my other ones but oh well. The reception here is great <3

**Chapter 15: Put That Thing Back Where It Came From or So Help Me**

“So… you’re in time out?” Asked a very confounded Sole as she stared back at X6-88 through the lighted bars of his laser prison

“They prefer the term ‘retention,’ but essentially yes” X6 replied as he sat on the only metal bench in the room.

X6 watched Sole’s expression change from confusion to understanding to frustration to confusion once again. He might have even uttered a small laugh had decorum allowed it but the situation in totality was rather demeaning for him so he just sat and stared.

“Well for how long?” she asked.

“In increasing increments each time. I suspect that currently they are recharging the monitor on my watch. It was undoubtedly beneficial for them to have me back. They underestimated the amount of resources they needed to allocate to have my vitals constantly streaming information back to the mainframe” he explained.

“I didn’t know your watch doubled as a heart monitor.”

“It doesn’t. It serves as a transmitter. Robotics surgically installed a sensor inside of my chest. My vitals get transmitted back via my watch which communicates to the sensor.”

“So it only goes off when your heart beats quickly?”

“Unfortunately.”

Sole made a face at him, no doubt recounting the past couple of days they had spent together. The kiss. “You fucker, you did feel something”

“I was trying not to. You make it… difficult.”

She fidgeted in her spot, most likely embarrassed. He could read her reactions almost impeccably now having spent so much time together.

“I don’t get it. Why didn’t you just tell me back then? I would have backed off” she suddenly blurted.

X6 sighed, “I could not tell you because the aforementioned sensor it more complicated than that. Robotics has been working on vocal recognition technology as well through vibrations. It is still in the premature phases of development but they made sure to get the sequence of vibrations for certain words. If any of the rules are broken, my watch is automatically programmed to beam me back here. The only reason why I can explain this now is because it is switched off.”

Sole irritably groaned and paced in front of his laser cell.

“Shit this had to happen now? We need to get that thing out of you” she remarked, racking her brain for some plan.

“Easier said than done.”

“Right. Especially since everyone I know that could is up on the surface where we, oh yeah I forgot, told them I was basically the leader of the most hated organization in the Commonwealth.”

X6 didn’t say anything as she paced back and forth in front of him, running her hands through her hair. Then after a few more minutes she stopped in her tracks, almost tripping over herself.

“Hey wait… I might have an idea. Wait here!”

“I literally have nowhere to go ma’am.”

With that, Sole took off, leaving X6 alone in his cell. It was a dark room in the back of the SRB. Usually rogue synths were kept here temporarily for repurposing. He had been in here many times to throw them in cells. In the history of the Institute, not a single courser had been on the other side of the laser bars. How insulting.

X6 leaned back against the cool wall, taking no pleasure in the absence of Sole’s presence. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn’t blame the Institute for what they had done. Some small part of him expected it for the way he was acting.

Irritating.

It wasn’t so much he disliked the way Sole made him feel. It was more like he hated that he _didn’t_ dislike the way she made him feel. It was a way that he was taught synths shouldn’t be like. She made him feel human.

He stared at the cell across from him where a deactivated gen-3 synth was standing limply in place like a doll. At any moment that could be him. Whenever the Institute felt like he would no longer be of use to them he would be deactivated and then most likely repurposed. He knew what it was like. This was a fact that he had accepted. Never once had he felt uncertain about it.

Until now.

When he was mandated for a job, he would get it done. There were no emotions. There was no attachment. But Sole never treated him like everyone else in the Institute. Sole wanted to be close to him like the humans wanted to be close to one another. First he couldn’t fathom her inability to distinguish between them, but now he couldn’t fathom why he didn’t mind it. He liked it. With Sole there were memories he couldn’t stop replaying. Even the thought of them now sent his mind reeling back to that day in the Glowing Sea.

As the head of her small hand caressed his face he knew he shouldn’t be enjoying it. But he was. He knew he shouldn’t have indulged in the want to touch her. But he did. He knew that a courser and a director should not be leaning in to kiss one another. But they did. His body shouldn’t have reacted the way it did as she sat on his pelvis. But it did. He knew that he definitely shouldn’t be thinking about ripping their clothes off as he caressed every curve of her battle-toned body. But he thought. Oh he thought.

Every time he gave in to a whim he knew he shouldn’t, a confusing mélange of guilt and pleasure would overcome him. On one hand he was property of the Institute, his home. He was a trained agent and loyal servant. On the other, he was an equal to Sole, his companion; Allowed to feel like he had never felt before. It was entirely inappropriate.

The thoughts continued to haunt him, even when he knew they shouldn’t. Valuing his position too highly, he tried to deny himself the pleasure of his increasing want for her. But every day it became increasingly more difficult not to keep glancing over at her during battle. It was hard not to notice how she skillfully maneuvered around creatures with mathematically timed shots and not find her beautiful. He was smart enough to realize that acting carelessly would jeopardize his work so he repressed his urges.

At the very least, he should have backed off once he figured out they were on to him, which was pretty obvious. There was no way the Institute would accept synth-human relations, not to mention the fact that Sole was Father’s mother. He did not expect X9-27 to replace him however. Just his luck. X9 had come to gloat about his transgressions and how he would be the next protégée after he was disassembled. X6 knew he wasn’t going to be disassembled. Binet told him everything. If X6 was anything like what he was before meeting Sole, he would have reported Binet for insubordination in a heartbeat. How things have changed.

When the monitor was forcibly installed in his chest, he knew that they were watching him for mistakes now. More than ever before. If he wanted to keep being by Sole’s side then he was going to have to abstain from ever indulging in his desire for her ever again. But when she kissed him…

It had caught him off guard. Logically it didn’t make sense. He had done everything in his power to push her away and yet she still showed him affection. In that moment, almost like a glitch, he had forgotten about everything but her. The moment her soft lips touched his, everything came rushing back at once with ferocity: the want to run his fingers through her hair and pull her closer, the overwhelming intoxication of her smell, the distinct heat and presence of her small body compared to his. He enjoyed it. Hell, he loved it.

That was his mistake. Reality came back to remind him of his position as he was whisked away from that tender moment with a flash of blue. Well… at least while he was sitting there with nothing to do, he was going to indulge his thoughts one last time before his watch was returned to him. Every little raw emotion he felt started appearing because of Sole. She made him feel human. Even this selfish need to accumulate pleasurable feelings was entirely a human characteristic. He sighed again. He was specifically trained to be a calculating killer. Emotions were unnecessary and only got in the way. Perhaps the Institute was right; anything extraneous to the task at hand was futile. Although that didn’t seem so clear anymore.

Synths shouldn’t fall in love.

But he had.

* * *

 

Sole crammed as many items as she could into her pack as she scurried about the room. Clothes, medication, ammo, junk (definitely not stolen), etc. She had an idea. Although, she wasn’t sure if she could pull it off. Only a person with an intricate knowledge about medicine and the human body would be able to take that device out of X6’s chest. Sole could only think of one person that fit that description: Curie.

The problem was, well with her being a gen-3 now and all, that Sole had literally declared herself the director of the Institute who occasionally liked to kidnap their “escaped property” in the middle of the night. Yeah… she had no idea how she was taking the news. Nor did she think convincing Curie to help her was going to be easy. But she couldn’t trust anyone in the Institute. This was going to be her only shot.

Sole checked her pip boy. 10:53pm. Perfect. Sole pulled a dark cap over her hair and slung her shoulder. Just as she turned around to leave the doors to her room swished open. A dark figure entered the room.

“Hello ma’am. Designation X9-”

“Oh goddammit not you again.”

Sole pushed past him and made her way to the elevator. The courser followed.

“Ma’am, although you may not like it, I have been assigned as your escort for your escapades on the surface. I am to accompany you while-”

“Yeah, yeah, just don’t get in my way.” Sole snapped back. Well shit, this was going to be harder than she thought.

With a sneer at her new ‘companion,’ Sole pressed the button on her pip boy and away she went.

The night blanketed the scenery in a pitch black when she and X9-27 landed just outside Sanctuary Hills at the little bridge towards the north end of the town. Quickly she hurried X9 into the bushes as a stray settler walked past. Sole placed her hand on the tip of X9’s gun (which he had already taken out) and pointed it down towards the ground.

“We’re not killing them. This is an…. Infiltration of sorts” she informed in a hushed whisper.

X9 nodded. “We are trained in all forms of infiltration. If we are going to reclaim a synth, it is an easy task.”

Hmm, she was going to need him to distract him with something while she was searching around. Just the thought of him simply laying eyes on Nick sent shivers down her spine. She never got the chills from X6. This courser was different, bloodthirsty. Sole drummed her fingers against her crouched thigh.

“Actually it will be easier if I do this alone. What I really need you to do is to survey the perimeter. These… settlers tend to set up patrols and numerous landmines that will send everyone scuttling to attack us if triggered. I need you to go find them and take out the dangerous traps. Should be easy for you since you’re so good at finding things.” She was lying through her teeth but at least it would send him scavenging for a while.

Thankfully X9 took the bait as he switched on a stealth boy and left her presence. Okay time to work.

Sole knew that Curie liked to sleep in her next door neighbor’s house to the right so that’s where she had to go. Figuring it would be easier to jump over fences and stray chairs rather than to skirt the perimeter where X9 may or may not be she made her way through the backyards of her neighbors. In the distance she heard Nick Valentine and Piper’s voices talking. They were probably on night patrols. Shit, there couldn’t have been a more Institute-hating pair surveying that night. Then she heard the lackadaisical gravelly chuckle of Hancock joining them. Shit, forgot about him. Okay if she valued her life, she would need to avoid them.

One more house to go. Just as Sole was scaling the last picket fence to the house Curie was in, her jumpsuit snagged on a stray splintering wood piece which launched her forward into a bunch of stray junk with a huge crash. She heard the surprised gasp of Curie’s dainty voice inside.

Shit. Damn. Fuck.

Quickly scrambling to get up, Sole pushed off all the extra crap as fast as she could and darted to the wall in order to hide but she wasn’t quick enough. Curie’s surprised face poked out of the uncovered window and she locked eye contact with Sole. They both froze. Oh crap...

“Madem-mmmf!” Curie began to say when Sole quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Sole climbed through the window railing and pushed Curie inside. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she backed up in shock. Well that didn’t go according to plan.

“Curie!” Sole hissed quietly, eyes darting around to make sure they were alone. “I need your help. Please!”

“M-mademoiselle, where have you been? You’ve been missing for days and zen we hear ze radio with you and we assumed ze worst! What has happened?” Curie began, fiddling her fingers nervously. “You aren’t really…. Allying with ze Institute are you?”

Sole ran a hand through her hair. “It’s more complicated than that. I… I had no choice. But please, you have to believe me when I say that I would never hurt you or anyone else here.”

Curie paused, looking into Sole’s eyes. She hoped they looked as truthful as she felt. After an agonizing minute, Curie slowly nodded and let out a little breath.

“I believe you. But… well, it was wise to come to me first. Zere are some others here zat mmm, aren’t so happy about your transmission. What is it you need me for?”

Curie guided them over to a small dilapidated table with two rickety stools for them to sit. Curie always reminded her of the friends she preferred back during the pre-war times. It was hard enough back then finding people who were innocent, sweet, and open-minded.

“It’s X6. Now I know that he wasn’t everyone’s favorite and he didn’t really treat others nicely… and he may have threatened a few of you from time to time… but he is in trouble now and you’re the only one that can help. He has this thing, right here-” Sole motioned to her heart. “-that tracks his heartbeat and something about vibrations. Basically, he was turned into a pawn in order for Fa-Shaun to spy on me. Now every time we get even a little bit friendly, it zaps him away.”

“So… My apologies. I am still a bit confused as to what you would like me to do.” Curie shook her head.

Sole gritted her teeth. “I need you to… surgically remove the thing.” Dammit she should have paid more attention to the technical bit X6 was talking about.

“And zen do what? I assume you do not want ze Institute finding out no? Ozerwise why would you be coming to me? Zey will know zat something is wrong when zey no longer hear a heartbeat.”

Crap she hadn’t thought of that. She was so concerned with removing it she forgot about what to do afterwards.

“Well… can we put it somewhere else?”

“Mon dieu, I’m afraid not unless it is in a living person.”

Sole ran her hands repeatedly through her hair. Man she was going to go gray with all this stress. No one in their right mind would agree to have an Institute spy device surgically implanted in their chest! Well… shit…

“Okay forget it… I’ll just think of another way” Sole sighed with exasperation.

Curie shook her head, “Oh non! Zat is not what I meant! It is entirely possible. If it reads heartbeat zen it will need to very quickly be put back into someone else. We have many options but… with ze equipment available at Sanctuary, I am unable to do such a procedure.”

“Well what do you need? The Institute has tons of free and clean equipment. Well not necessarily free. Free to me. Not necessarily free to me either. I just kinda… take it. But never mind me! What was it you needed?”

Curie got up, looked around frantically for something, and eventually came back with a scrap of paper and a pencil. She began scribbling down a bullet point list of medical supplies she was going to need. Sole never had seen a cuter looking theft request. Curie handed the paper to Sole.

Scanning the list, it didn’t look like the supplies she needed would be very difficult to get. Almost all of them could easily be swiped from Bioscience or storage cabinets without alerting a single soul. Okay! Maybe this could work.

A sinking feeling gripped Sole’s stomach as she just remembered X9. Shit he was out there somewhere and probably looking for her. As she stood to get up, Curie grabbed her wrist.

“Sole. Zis was once your home. You are a good person, don’t forget zat. I’m sure zat if you explain what happened zen everyone would understand” she insisted with the sweetest voice possible.

Sole smiled, warmth rising to her cheeks. The Institute was so cold she almost forgot what it was like to be around people you love. People that make you happy. People that you want to fight for. People like X6.

Now it was time to save the one she loved.


	16. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long… I’ve been going through a lot of stress because I just love overloading my life with things I don’t have time for. It’s hard to write the later on in the semester it gets. Just remember that I am not a disaster relief fund. Crying in my PMs or comments isn’t going to make me upload any faster.   
> Rearranging dialogue again (bad me) but only because I think the game should have included some reactions after the broadcast. I had some major writers block with the second half of this chapter so it’ll probably come off not as fantastic.

“Miss Sole, I think that if you bothered to listen you could-”

“No” Sole interrupted as X9 tried for the hundredth time to convince her of his plan to take out the residents of Sanctuary Hills while they slept.

The synth and the survivor walked briskly towards the ammo merchant. X9 had proven much more difficult to shake than she had originally thought. At least X6 would give her space and seemed to have the need to do things on his own. X9 however seemed contented with watching over her every move with scrutiny. Sole had thought that perhaps the deadpan stoicism was perhaps also a favored trait that would be shared amongst all coursers but oh no. X9 was so very different. Although he could be classified as seemingly “emotionless” he was a lot more… radical, than the other coursers Sole had met. There was something about his beady eyes and long face that was so unsettling but Sole couldn’t place it.

“As an embodiment of the Institute’s ideals, you must be ready to make sacrifices if it is in the best nature of our organization” he said condescendingly as he leaned up against the wall.

Sole exchanged caps with the gen-2 synth and swiped the ammo boxes, pointing one at X9.

“Listen you. Us humans have these things called _friends_. Say it with me. _Friiieeeennndsss_. And we don’t kill friends just because some privileged eggheads say so” she retorted.

He turned away from her but Sole could have sworn he rolled his eyes. At her. Douche. Anyway, his attitude was the least of her worries at the moment. What she was really preoccupied with was when the stupid scientists would finish “charging” X6’s little spy device so she could be rid of this radical. She was already sick of the Institute. It seemed so small once you knew all the corridors. It felt confined and cramped compared to the vast open world up above. However she couldn’t run the risk of X9 trying to kill the very people she was going to have to convince she wasn’t going to kill after all. He would be a terrible asset for that motivational speech.

Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long. It was only hours after X9 following her around like an insipid duckling that one Ayo came up and informed her that X6 was all ready to go. Thanking him, she dismissed both Ayo and X9 as she returned to her room expectantly to wait. She saw X9 puff up behind her. She wondered what his angle was. Why did he want to be around her so badly? What did he gain from it? All of her suspicions vanished as soon as X6’s tall figure stepped through the door. She rushed up to hug him but he held his hand out.

“Ma’am, please. You know what will happen if you do that” he groaned just as gloriously monotone as she remembered.

“Right. Sorry” she apologized, returning her hands to her sides. “Hey so remember when I said I had a plan to help? Well I think I found someone that can get that thing out of you.”

X6 cocked his head inquisitively to the side as he folded his shiny leather coated arms.

“Instead of trying to circumvent the rules, you might see this as a lesson. Perhaps we should just lay low and continue our mission instead of trying disobey them.”

“Oh pish posh” she waved her hand dismissively. “Wait. You don’t think the Institute like… rigged it to explode if it’s taken out do you?”

X6 smirked. “No ma’am, if they wanted to kill me then I would already be dead. They wouldn’t go through such convoluted means.”

“That’s true. Well I still think our plan will work. I just hope Curie found an acceptable alternative for putting your monitor.”

X6’s face immediately dropped. “Curie… As in designation G5-19 whose consciousness was implanted from a Mr. Handy model? You were planning on doing this on the surface? Ma’am do you have any idea how serious an infection from squalid dull tools could be? I do not believe she is ready to perform a surgery not to mention a transplant.”

Sole rolled her eyes as she pushed past him, raising her pip boy. “Oh my god, I forgot how much of a princess you were.”

With that, Sole pressed the button that beamed her away to Sanctuary.

The warm yellow sun of the late afternoon bathed the land in gold just behind her neighborhood. A radcrow cawed and Sole grabbed X6, quickly leading him to the bushes. A great number of the birds flying around were watcher synths for the Institute. It was how they knew what was going on up in the Commonwealth. In any case, she needed to make sure they were out of sight. If they found out what she was doing… She looked at X6’s serious face as he monitored the sky as well. Well, she’d rather not think of that.

Taking the same path as before, Sole led X6 to Curie’s house and they ducked into the open widow.

“Curie” Sole hissed.

No answer. She turned down the hallway when she came face to face with the surprised Piper. Shit. Piper pushed Sole hard against the wall and made a break for the entrance of the house. No! Sole stumbled to run after her. This would ruin everything!

Luckily, X6 had not followed Sole through the same window she came in but rather came through the back entrance, allowing him to swiftly grab Piper by the wrist and mouth and drag her back inside. Muffled yells were blotted by his large hand as she kicked and struggled against his grasp. Crap.

X6 dragged her all the way back to the far bedroom, away from any prying eyes that could possibly look in. Sole reluctantly followed, guilt seeping into her conscience. Piper was glaring at them with such wild hateful eyes and she didn’t blame her. So she just stood there, waiting for her to calm down. She knew X6 wasn’t going to let go of her until she gave the signal. Once she stopped struggling as much Sole nodded to X6 who released her.

With a gasp Piper spat, “How could you! We all trusted you and then… the broadcast. How could you even think of siding with them?” She cast a quick spiteful glance to X6.

There was no point in apologizing. What was done was done and Sole was going to become the next director of the Institute whether Piper liked it or not. She just really hoped that she could manage to convince her that she was in it for change. Sole took in a shaky breath. “Why are you so mad?”

“Why?” She asked incredulously, throwing her arms up and gritting her teeth. “You know what this means right? It means people getting snatched in the night. Neighbors turning on each other. And no one left to stop them. Do you really think that’s what the Commonwealth needs?”

“Is there anything I can say to convince you that this was the right choice?” Sole asked. Her legs were shaking and her heart was pounding. This confrontation thing was harder than she thought it was going to be.

“I seriously doubt it” Piper breathed and for a split second Sole swore she saw a shred of sympathy in her hazel eyes. Piper continued, “because this new world you’re creating, I’m not sure what kind of chance it’s got.”

Piper cast her head down sadly as if the realization that her world was coming to an end just hit her. Sole lowered herself to her knees and grabbed Piper’s hands in hers. Piper looked up to meet her eyes. She was scared, Sole could see it.

“Piper. You may not believe me when I say this and I don’t blame you. But when I say that the Institute is mankind’s future, I mean it. Not in the way that they want it to mean. How long have you known me? I know what it’s like up here, I’m not blind. I’m not going to let all of you be decimated just because a living fragment of my memory tells me so.”

Piper cast her eyes down, still scrunched up in a confused mix of anger and emotion. “I-I thought you really betrayed us. I thought that you had joined the bad guys and were going to kill us all.” Her voice was breaking.

Sole squeezed her hands. “I want to create change Piper. Up here, life is hard. People are dying every day from preventable dangers and illnesses that the Institute has the answer for. The thing about science and technology was that it was never meant to be hoarded. Even if no one understands this, dammit I’m going to try!”

Piper took a second, quickly wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her fingerless gloves and eventually smiled.

“Well… You might have to do some explaining to Nick about that but pretty much no one else seems to care. You really made some good friends here Sole” she sniffed.

Sole’s face darkened. “What about Paladin Danse?” She made sure not to affiliate Deacon with any factions since X6 was around.

Piper shook her head. “Danse took off days ago, getting some nukes or something in the glowing sea. No one’s seen him since.”

“Okay” Sole breathed, running a hand through her hair. “Well who I really need most is Curie. Do you know where she is?”

Piper nodded and pointed towards the chemistry station at the far end of Sanctuary. Sole took a deep breath. Okay. She was going to do it. To hell is anyone saw her. This sneaking around was bullshit.

Sole nodded to X6 who promptly stood up without so much as a glance in Piper’s direction and got the door for Sole. Big breath.

* * *

 

So basically it wasn’t as bad as she thought. In her head, Sole had made it out to be a lot worse than it actually was. Other than some of the smack talk Hancock gave her or the endless “traitor” jokes from Deacon, everyone else didn’t really care. Some of them didn’t even listen to the radio at all so they had no idea what was going on. Fascinating the amount of catastrophizing one can do when a thought dwells in the brain for long enough.

Nick Valentine understood way easier than Sole thought he was going to. He said that if anyone would be the one to change the Institute, it was going to be her. All the positive feedback warmed Sole’s heart. She loved this place. Sanctuary was not only where she lived before the war, it was her home; it was where all of her friends who loved her very much congregated; it was where she came back to relax after a long journey.

A settler passed by, giving her and X6 a warm smile. The cul-de-sac was bathed in a golden glow and the warm afternoon tingled her skin. If there was any reason to protect the Commonwealth, it was this.

This was home.

Just as she was making her astounding mental revelations, she caught the perky brusque walk of Curie in the corner of her eye. Sole grabbed X6’s hand and ran after Curie.

“Curie! We’re here. I’ve got X6 here. You’ve got all the equipment now, are you ready?” Sole panted, all of a sudden nervous.

She briefly glanced down at Sole and X6’s interlocked fingers but didn’t comment. “Yes. Unfortunately I thought zat we could possibly procure an inactive gen-3 synth then we could easily do ze transplant but eh… it hasn’t worked out so well. I apologize.”

Sole’s heart fell as she glanced at X6 who showed no emotion at the news. She turned her attention back to Curie. “Well, can’t we just input it in a robobrain or something? They have biological organs and are captive enough.”

“No I don’t think zat would fool them. You said it transmits information back to ze mainframe yes? They would know if ze monitor was attached to a brain and not a heart.”

X6 cleared his throat. “Curie. As a side note, the monitor is not directly attached to any of my organs. It resides as a patch on directly on top of the skin where my heart is.”

Sole’s eyes bulged. What?

“ _What_? You told me that they _surgically implanted_ it in you. Now you’re telling me that we don’t even need all these fancy lab equipment I’ve painstakingly collected over the past few days just for your special surgery? What the hell X6? Are you seriously that much of a princess that you needed me to worry about you for that long?” She cast aside his hand like a filthy rag and raised her voice.

“Yes. It was a joke. Ha ha” he said completely monotone.

Sole was going to kill him. About to blow her lid, she thought about punching his stupid calmly smirking face but Curie held her hands out to separate them.

“One moment mademoiselle. X6, I was under ze impression zat this surgical device could also hear vibrations from inside ze body or so Miss Sole told me. Is zis not correct?”

Sole was going to kill him.

“That is only half correct. While it is true that the device is sensitive enough to pick up vibrations from the voice box, it was also not surgically implanted anywhere in my body” he explained.

Sole was going to kill him.

“Oh! Then zis will be easier than I thought! May I see it for a moment?” Curie clasped her hands together, excited to be able to be introduced to new technology.

X6 zipped himself out of his jacket, refusing to look at Sole, and lifted his body-hugging shirt over his head. Ugh, he gave a new meaning to the word ripped. Sole hated how sexually attracted she was to this man. Plus, she still wanted to punch him.

A small, thin device about the size of a post-it note lay on his chest. On the small panel, a number kept flickering up and down. That must be the heart rate. X6 quickly redressed himself.

“Oh! How marvelous! Zis will be easier than I thought. Come with me” Curie exclaimed, turning about face and leading them to the newly built shack at the corner of Sanctuary. She continued to rattle on about the logistics and time parameters needed to perform this efficiently without the Institute noticing anything. Sole noticed X6 tried to walk ahead of her because he totally knew she was pissed.

“Hey X6” Sole said in a low voice so that Curie wouldn’t hear.

X6-88 froze for a moment before turning about. He opened his mouth to ask her what she wanted but he was cut off by a fist to the stomach. He let out a low grunt as Sole passed him without as much as a word.

The shack was bigger inside than Sole had originally thought. Two operating tables lay side by side and tables lined the walls of the room, all with medical equipment lined up neatly next to one another.

“Okay Mister X, zis is where we will do ze procedure however… There is still one matter we need to address. Who are we going to put ze monitor on?” Curie inquired once they were all inside.

Sole folded her arms, thinking. “Hmm it has to be someone that will never set off the heart monitor. If goes off andX6 gets beamed back, they’re going to know we took it off.”

“We need someone who is calm and collected zen. Someone who can adhere to ze word phrase zat Mister X cannot say. Someone”

“Someone who is patient in the face of absolute adversity.”

“Someone with a strong sense of duty.”

“Someone like-”

* * *

 

“Heeeey Preston. How ‘ya doing?” Sole nodded, leaning up against the nearby pole as Preston hammered away at the foundation to a house.

“Hey there General. Or I can’t call you that anymore can I? Director was it? Ha ha.” He chided.

“General is fine. So hey here’s the thing… we kind of need you for this thing. Think of it like training.” Sole chose her words carefully.

Preston put down his hammer and wiped the sweat from his brow. He stood up so that he could face Sole. “What do you mean?”

“Well. You want to be the kind of leader that uses words instead of violence, calm but effective right?” she asked

“Of course. I think that is the most admirable quality in any leader.” He nodded in agreement, wiping the grease off his hands on the hem of his jacket.

“Well then, do we got the job for you! You see back at the Institute, they put this sort of device on X6 that is proving to be problematic. It’s just a simple heart rate monitor, no biggie” Sole shrugged trying to pass off her big fat lie as nothing but an annoyance. “Anyway, the whole point of it is that you can’t let your heart rate get too high or else it starts beeping. I think it will be good training for you because it will be a reminder to stay calm in situations where you might get upset.”

Preston’s head was slowly nodding with her words. Good sign.

Sole continued, “the bad news is that the technology belongs to the Institute so we need to take it of X6 and put it on you before they notice that he’s either dead, or we took it off. What do you say?”

Preston scratched the back of his head. “Gee, I don’t know General. I don’t think parading around in Institute tech is such a good idea. But I do understand what you’re saying. It does sound like an interesting prospect. Like a self-goal.”

“It wouldn’t be for very long. Just until I become director, then you can take it off. It should only take about a month or so hopefully. Think of it like a trial period” Sole added.

Preston moved his hands to his chin in pensive thought. A bead of sweat rolled down Sole’s forehead, afraid he might say no.

“Hm… okay General. I trust what you’re saying. I think like that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I mean, we’re not expecting something big to happen any time soon, let along some trader caravans coming through, so I think it should be no problem. My answer is yes.”

Sole let out a sigh of relief and threw her hands around Preston in an appreciative hug. “Thank you Preston! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me.”

 He laughed and patted her back in return. “Okay okay, I got it already.”

Subject secured. Sole led Preston over to Curie’s shack and she spent the next hour debriefing them on what was going to happen. Apparently they were going to start with some breathing exercise to sync up the cadence of their heart beats hopefully. Through all the fancy wording, Sole was able to understand ‘take patch of person A’ and ‘place patch on person B’ and ‘go fast.’ It seemed pretty cut and dry.

Sole started spacing out until the two men before her starting taking off their shirts. She snapped to attention real quick. Jesus… Both men were very good looking but man, X6 could make someone sweat with his ridiculously ripped abdominals. He had the most athletic build of out anyone she’d ever seen. He was a tower of solid muscle. She must have been ogling for too long because Preston awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Um General? I’m here too you know?”

“Right, sorry of course” Sole shook her head, cheeks burning with embarrassment. X6 seemed unfazed, completely oblivious to what had just occurred.

Curie snapped on some blue rubber gloves and instructed the men to lay down next to one another.

“Alright. Let’s begin.”


End file.
